Tales of Vesperia 2: The Blastia Age Restored
by MrAwesomeMattyDA
Summary: Several months after the Adephagos was defeated, the world has struggled to maintain itself without blastia. Tai, a teenager who resides in Halure that doesn't like large crowds, is asked to help Estelle simply visit Flynn for a nice chat. But soon, it leads him into forming up with Brave Vesperia and possibly finding a formula to bring back blastia! (Is based off the PS3 version).
1. Meeting Tai

A/N: Heyo, this is MrAwesomeMatty with my out of the brain Tales of Vesperia 2 idea. I got this inspiration from the pen name DeMerio, so go check that author out! :3

Also, I know that if you're looking this over, you're probably expecting the main cast like Yuri and Flynn and Judith now. Just please be patient: part of a good story is reading it completely. ^^ But trust me, Yuri and Repede will be in the story at Chapter 5. I just wanted to start off with Raven, Estelle, Flynn, and one of my OCs for the beginning. Trust me, I'll do my best!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Vesperia or its characters. However, I do own the original characters put in the story.

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Our world, Terca Lumireis... it once was the home of blastia. But no more. The Adephagos tried to claim the world we loved, but thanks to the nine who traveled under the guild Brave Vesperia, our world was saved... but at a terrible cost. Now all that is left of this world is the fragile people and places that must be strengthened to protect each other. But this story... is how we were able to get the blastia working again. And how a few new people helped our nine former heroes complete it. Now, let us begin...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Man, such a beautiful morning..." he said silently to himself.

Just standing there, watching the clear sky from Halure's tree barrier felt peaceful to him. In the world called Terca Lumireis, one can't help but feel safe in a blastia barrier away from the outside, infested with monsters. But even then, you can get exposed to the nasty side of humanity. At least, that's what he believed... back when barriers existed.

He sat against one of the massive tree roots and rested as the morning began. The young male wore a green and black claw-mark designed hoodie that was short sleeve, and black shiny shorts with frayed edges near the knees, a red flame on the left leg, and a metal chain wrapped around the right leg. He wore purple and white sneakers with bold purple kneepads that had white straps holding them there. He wore a blue and yellow fingerless glove on his right hand with an orange and black arm sleeve accessory. On his left arm was a dark green and pitch black demonic looking glove that covered his whole arm and seemed to have a Bodhi blastia in it.

The young man kept his orange spiky hair hidden under his hood as the purple and while headphones covered his ears. With his chain necklace that had a tiny pink and silver sword dangle from it stayed in the front of him while the hoodie's front collar blocked the view of his mouth, the boy seemed to shout "mysterious and closed off" by how he dressed. He simply relaxed into the tree as he began to close his eyes.

"Ahhh, this day seems like a great one to me..." the youth said, "Now to listen to some tunes and-"

"TAAAAAAI!"

"Oh, damn it..."

The boy opened his eyes to see a woman in a simple red dress come over with a broom in her hand and stood angrily at him with a disappointed look. Tai sighed as he looked up at her, apparently as if he's dealt with her before.

"What is it, Mrs. Singh?"

"Are you attempting to slack off before you do your chores, Tai? Because you got another thing coming if you think I'm gonna let you do that!" the woman said as she went to strike him with the broom.

"Hey! Cut it out!" Tai said, swatting the broom away before it hit him, "I got the chores done before, so I can relax."

Mrs. Singh folded her arms and raised an eyebrow, filled with disbelief as she asked, "You swept the inn stairs?"

"Mhm."

"Washed the dishes of the inn?"

"Yup."

"Swept the bridge, took out the garbage of all houses in the east section, and watered the planets near the city exit?"

"And I even made sure that the inn floors were moped and there was no animal poop or pee on the pathways around the city," Tai said, closing his eyes, "Look, I purposely did all the chores on my list today early in the morning, so I can relax. So, please, let me be."

Mrs. Singh smiled and held her broom casually as she said, "But there is one thing you didn't do. The mayor has asked me to come get you. He wants to talk to you."

"Oh?" Tai opened his eyes and asked, "Did he tell you what it was?"

"Nope, but he said it was important, as in Halure could be impacted by it," she answered.

"Ahh, what a drag... Oh, well. Guess I might as well head on down there," Tai said, standing up, "Is he by his house?"

"Yes, he said he would wait there for you. And with that, I need to go back and help my husband at the inn," Mrs. Singh said, nodding to him before she waved good-bye and walked down the path.

Tai took a deep breath, very disappointed that the whole purpose of chores being done early was gone, and put his hands in his pockets. He looked at the beautiful clear sky and the wonderful clouds that passed them by.

"Well, this sucks. There goes my perfect day of lounging around," he said as he looked down the pathway, "I better hurry over to the mayor and see what he wants."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Beautiful morning

Tai: (neutral face; closes eyes) _Ahhh, man. The whole point of me getting my chores done early was for me to rest all day and listen to music, not get involved with more chores and be social_. (smiles) _Oh, well, it's still a beautiful morning and there's plenty of daytime left. _(opens eyes) _I better go see what the mayor wants if he was to call me specifically._

_/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\_

After a calm walk down the path and across the bridge, Tai came to the mayor's house and saw him with some people talking. They were finishing their conversation as the old man looked up at him with a smile. He walked over with a wave as the young man stopped.

"Good morning, Tai," the mayor said, "I hope I'm not really ruining your morning."

Despite the millions of rude comebacks swirling into his head on how that was true, he slightly smiled at the elder and said, "Ahh, not really. So, Mrs. Singh came by and told me you needed to see me?"

"Yes, and I'm glad you were able to come," the mayor said importantly, "You see, Tai, I'm sure you know that for living with us for over a decade now, that recently we've had a special person come to live with us. It's been quite an honor to have her be apart of this city."

"Her... oh, you mean that pink-haired girl?" Tai asked, raising his head.

"Yes, she is Princess Estellise," the mayor said with a smile, proudly declaring it, "She is a noble from the imperial capital, and was one of the nine people who defeated the Adephagos. After that battle several months ago, she has come here to Halure to live with us. And with that, I'd like you to meet her before I explain why I called you down here."

With that, he walked up to his door and opened it, as it looked like someone was nearby and ready to come out. Once he began walking back, a young teenage girl with bright pink hair and a white and yellow style dress that looked like a flower came behind him. She seemed to be really gentle and nice as she stood beside the mayor and held her hands in front of her.

"Lady Estellise, this is Tai, the young man I told you about," the old man introduced.

"Please, it's just Estelle," the girl said smiling and turned to Tai, "Hello, very pleased to meet you."

"Oh, well... yeah, likewise," Tai said, kind of taken back a bit by this and looking away.

"Now that you two are acquainted, Tai, it's time I tell you why I called you down here," the mayor explained, "You see, now that there is no barriers and blastias anymore, it's a lot more difficult to travel outside of cities and towns. Despite that we still can use attacks like artes, it's becoming more difficult to really go journeying from place to place. Anyways, Lady Estelle wants to make a travel to the imperial capital of Zaphias, and needs somebody to go along with her."

"Wait... are you seriously appointing me as her personal bodyguard?" Tai snapped at the mayor in an annoyed and disgusted tone of voice.

"O-Oh... do you not like me?" Estelle said, a bit saddened by how Tai just acted.

The young man sighed and shook his head as he placed a hand on his hip, "No, it's not like that. It's just the reason why I'm upset about this is because of two major reasons, and the mayor knows it. Sir, those two reasons are; one: you know I don't do people. And two: I've never stepped one foot outside of the city, even when we used to have blastia."

"Really? You're never ventured outside of Halure?" Estelle blinked in surprise as she asked.

Tai nodded and turned to the older man, "Yeah... Ever since the earliest day I can remember, for a whole decade, I've never stepped outside of the city at all... and the most important reason I have against going is that I do not like people. Sir, you know how much I hate large groups of people; I'm surprised that I can live here in Halure. But seriously; can't you just ask one of adults who have more experience outside the city to escort Estelle?"

"I do understand they have a better chance, but I think you and I both know, Tai," the mayor said, gently smiling, "that you're the strongest person in Halure. And that fancy set of artes you have, makes you the perfect choice for Lady Estelle to have."

Tai grunted in frustration as he lowered his head. The shadows of his hoodie covering his eyes, Estelle didn't have to be a genius in figuring out that this really was making him upset. But before she could offer a rebuttle or try to be encouraging, the young man speak.

"Damn... fine, I'll do it," he groaned and then said, turning around and heading to the inn, "I need to grab my weapon and I'll be at the town entrance..."

As Tai made his way up the hill silently, Estelle lowered her head in a bit of concern. She had never seen somebody so moody over a little detail before and wondered if she could travel with him. Not saying she hasn't traveled with crazy people before...

"Don't worry. Lady Estelle," she heard and turned to hear the mayor speak, "Tai may be a bit closed-off when it comes to new people, but he is a great moral-loving person and you can count on him to help you."

"Thank you, sir," Estelle said with a smile and bowing, "I will do all in my power to not be a burden to him."

"I hope you have a good and safe journey to visit your friend," the man said, as she nodded and went inside to prepare.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Bodyguard..?

Tai: (grumpy face) _You got to be freaking kidding me... he's appointing me as her bodyguard? If she's one of the people who defeated the Adephagos, why the hell does she need someone to help her?_ (angrily grits teeth, closing his eyes) _Damn it, the mayor's doing this on purpose; he wants me to get outside and venture into the world..._ (neutral face; eyes closed) _Oh well, no point complaining about it._ (opens eyes) _Better get this over with._

_/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\_

Well... this is my first chapter of Tales of Vesperia 2. Is it good? Is it bad? Can I get some reviews? ^^ Thanks. Well, bye!


	2. To Deidon Hold!

Walking down towards the entrance, Tai wasn't happy with what he was being forced to do, but the sooner he got it done, the sooner it was over. Attached to his back was a silver bat with a custom-made green and red flame handle that protected his hand from any attacks. Stopping at the entrance, he saw the mayor and Estelle waiting for him down near the entrance. He stopped in front of them as he took a breath and sighed.

"All right, ready to go?" he asked her.

"Yes, I have my provisions and a few items," Estelle said, as Tai could see she had a very thin sword and a pink shield that looked like one that an imperial knight would have.

"Okay, good," Tai said, nodding, "I have some gels just in case. Anything we need to do before we go?"

"Yes, I want you two to please take careful note of this," the mayor said, calling both of their attention spans to him, "You two are in all honesty going to be partners while you're outside. You two need to stick together no matter what so that neither gets into trouble. I'm counting on you to be considerate of the others' well-being and do your best."

"We will, sir, and thank you so much for your hospitality you've shown me," Estelle said as she bowed and thanked.

"Will do, sir," Tai said as he nodded.

"Okay, I must head back. Goodbye, and I wish you luck," the old man said as he walked back and headed into his house.

As she turned to her partner, Estelle smiled at him with an innocent and cheerful face and said, "Well, Tai, I look forward to the journey ahead with you."

Tai raised an eyebrow and just sort of stared at her with uncertainty. The journey ahead? Aren't they just going to Zaphias? Wow, she makes it sound like they were going to travel the world in some storybook. He blinked as the awkward silence made Estelle fidget with her fingers uncomfortably and look at him with a frown.

"Did... Did I say something wrong?" she asked naively.

"No, it's just... I'm not used to knowing you yet, but I'm sure I will as we travel on," Tai said as he turned to the entrance and began walking down outside of the city.

"Me too, I can't wait to be able to learn more about you, Tai!" Estelle said cheerfully as she walked alongside him.

As the two slowly got out of the city on foot, the young man couldn't stop but feel a bit spooked. He began to tremble as he slowly looked back at Halure: from the outside. He slowly looked up into the clear blue sky and the clouds roaming free in it. He felt the cool breeze against his face and skin as his partner turned and looked at him.

"What's the matter, Tai? Are you okay?" Estelle asked, walking to his side.

"Yeah... just... a little chilly in a way," Tai said, looking at her, "I've never been outside Halure... this is what the outside feels like?"

Estelle smiled and said, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. I once lived in Zaphias Castle for most of my life before I was able to step foot out into the world several months ago. I know how you feel, and you can trust me when I say this feeling will soon go away."

Tai blinked at that statement; she knew what it was like to be closed off too? In that case, this girl may be more of a mentor of the outside that he thought originally. He nodded as he turned to her.

"Okay, so we're headed to Zaphias, right?" he asked, "So, where do we go from here?"

He watched her point to the east of where they stood and say, "See the path that lies east of Halure? That will lead south to a place called Deidon Hold. Once we go through, we just follow the path right to the capital."

"The mayor said that you were going to visit somebody there, right?" Tai asked another question.

"Yes. He's a captain of a brigade of imperial knights, the new commandant, and a personal friend of mine. His name is Flynn Scifo," Estelle said, nodding to him.

"Well, let's go pay that visit to this Flynn character and then head on back," Tai replied and adjusted his headphones on his ears.

With that, the two began to make their way towards Deidon Hold... and the beginning of Tales of Vesperia 2: The Blastia Age Restored.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Estelle joined the party.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Sharing thing

Estelle: (neutral face) _Well, Tai, since I'm going to be traveling with you, I'd like to know a bit more about you._

Tai: (looks to his right, uncaring face) _Why do you need to know about me? Aren't we just going for a short travel?_

Estelle: (looks down, sad) _Y-Yes... but I'd like to know about you. It would help me get to know you better._ (neutral face) _You can even tell me anything. Like, what do you like to do, what kind of a person you are, what your favorite food is._

Tai: _Um... Okay... Well..._ (Looks up into the upper right, a slight blush on his face) _I... like music. And um... I love to sit and watch the clouds... My favorite..._ (looks down to his lower right, sweatdrop, looks uncomfortable) _food..._ (grumpy face, eyes closed) _Okay, Estelle, I'm sorry,_ (Estelle looks surprised)_ but I'm not really into this sharing thing._

Estelle: (angry/perseverant face) _But you won't be able to be social and make friends if you don't tell me about yourself!_

Tai: (head moves down, the shadows covers his eyes, his mouth covered by his hoodie) _…_

Estelle: (looks surprised) _Tai?_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – So, you're one of them...

Tai: (neutral face)_ Hey, Estelle, weren't you one of the nine who defeated the Adephagos a few months ago?_

Estelle: (neutral face) _Yes. I helped a guild called Brave Vesperia defeat the Adephagos and save our world from its terrible demise._

Tai: (tilts head to his right, unimpressed face) _So, am I to assume you also were the same nine who put an end to the blastia culture and destroyed them for good?_

Estelle: (looks down, sad) _Y-Yes... unfortunately, that was the cost of defeating it with the help of the spirits._ (Tai looks to his right, uncaring face) _...Are you... mad at me for being apart of that?_

Tai: (neutral face) _What? No, no, I don't hate you or anything. It's just..._ (closes eyes) _life's been harder for everybody since the blastia have stopped working, especially me here in Halure. We've had to double up on defenses; both men and structure. Work has been tripled. And it's hard just to be able to go outside of cities and towns, that's all._

Estelle: _Oh... I see..._

Tai: (opens eyes) _Hey, don't let me get to you. Come on, let's keep moving._(portrait starts to move off screen)

Estelle: _… I can tell by his voice and body language he's upset at us. I hope I can make it up to him._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Tai's weapon

Estelle: (curious face)_ Hey, Tai, what is that thing attached to your back?_

Tai: (neutral face) _Oh this? This is my weapon. It's called a bat. Why, you interested in it?_

Estelle: _Yes, it looks very unique. But it's the same size as a sword, yet it's not sharp at all to cut monsters. Why don't you use that kind of weapon instead?_

Tai: (grumpy face) _Are you kidding?_ (Estelle looks surprised) _Way too many people use swords; it becomes too predictable on what movements they'll do and how they attack._ (neutral face) _I like using this cause not a lot of people are used to fighting with a bat. It takes a lot of strength to maintain the momentum in swinging it. Besides, I don't like really killing things if I don't have too. Plus, I don't just fight with my weapons._

Estelle: (overjoyed face) _You mean you can use your arms and legs to fight?_

Tai: (shoulders perk up, head raises up with shocked face, raised eyebrow) _Uh... yeah, if I have to._

Estelle: _That is wonderful! You must be very skilled in fighting. I can't wait to see what kind of moves and attacks you can do!_

Tai: _G-Gee... thanks...?_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As they made their way towards the hold, Tai couldn't help but feel a bit of a loner when they silently walked down the path. Not only was he going to a place where a ton of people resided, but with somebody he didn't know and in a place he knew nothing off. It sucked to him that he was put under unsatisfactory conditions without notice earlier; since he is a need-to-know person who needs all the facts up front, he walked uncomfortably. But even keeping it to himself seemed to not slip by Estelle's notice.

"Tai, is something wrong?" She asked, stopping in her tracks.

"Huh? Oh, no, nothing," he said as he looked around, "I'm... really not looking forward to going to the capital."

"Because you haven't been out of Halure, right?" she asked.

"Well, that, but... in reality?" Tai said, in a rather soft yet truthfully tone as he adjusted his headphones in his hoodie, "I don't like being around large groups of people. They're so noisy and rude. That doesn't mean I won't be friends with you, but I just can't stand tons of people near me or in my face."

Estelle sort of blinked with a concerned face. It seems that some reason caused this attitude was pretty severe in Tai's life, but to try cross that now would be rude. She slowly looked away for a second as she tried to think of something to say, but Tai beat her to it.

"Look, we can talk about this later," he said as he pointed to the hold, "Let's just keep going to the hold. We can figure out what we need to do from there on."

"! AHH!" Estelle shrieked, looking behind him.

Suddenly, turning around, he saw that a bird monster had gotten behind him and was about to peck at him before he could turn around. But in that intense second, suddenly the top of the glove he wore glowed green. Estelle catching it for a second, she suddenly noticed a pool of this dark and liquid-type green and black matter immediately swelled up underneath the monster. It suddenly killed it by impaling it with a spike form of the same material. Soon, Tai turned to look at the incoming monsters.

"Wh-What was that weird energy?" Estelle asked, shocked.

"Forget that, we got monsters!" Tai said, apparently calling attention to the monsters coming.

Soon, there were a few birds and a wildebeest type monster come at them. They were charging down towards them as the young teenagers pulled their weapons out. Estelle pulled her saber out and faced the monsters with her shield behind her. She noticed that Tai's stance was him holding as if the bat were a blade, but leaning his body to the right and keeping the blade close to his body (A/N: If you're having trouble picturing it, imagine him in Sora's Kingdom Hearts 1 battle stance).

"I hope you still got your skills and artes for this!" Tai said loudly.

"I'll do my best!" Estelle nodded as Tai began to rush at the birds.

Quickly, he swung the bat hard into the first bird to come at him with his right arm. Killing it instantly, he turned and swung his right foot into another bird, momentarily stunning it. After the kick, he jumped into the air and brought the bat down hard onto the bird, killing it with a smash on the head. But before he could turn around, another bird came at him from his side. Before he could react he heard Estelle yell something.

"O evil soul, fall before this pure light! Grand Chariot!"

In an instant, seven bright dots of light came out and formed a star formation of a chariot. All exploded, killing the bird that was coming for Tai. The young man blinked in surprise; wow, those stories of this girl knowing powerful magic was incredible. He nodded with a slight smirk as she smiled back. Surprisingly, she immediately turned and blocked an incoming attack from the last bird monster there. She was firm when her shield stopped the attack by holding her shield without hesitation.

"No!" She yelled as she swung at it like a fencer, cutting it several times.

It was quite amazing to see a princess have such grace and amazing strength with a sword as she ended up taking it out fairly quickly with a few more strikes. Maybe he wasn't completely right about her being able to handle herself; she did have a few areas she needed to work on. But at least, he didn't have to worry about protecting her all the time. But speaking about protecting, he wasn't ready for the huge wildebeest coming at him. It barely rammed him, but ended up catching his leg a bit and cutting it open. Tai grunted in surprise as he was nearly knocked off his feet.

"AHH! TAI!" he heard Estelle yell in concern as she suddenly readied another magic spell.

To buy her time, he quickly rushed at the wildebeest and struck it in its right side. Quickly coming in front of it, he let go of his bat and flung a right fist into the monsters face, followed by an opposite swing from his other arm. Spinning 360 degrees, he smashed his foot into its fact and then as he began to turn again during a spin, he grabbed his bat and smashed it into its face. Seeing Estelle was done charging, he took a huge jump and back-flipped away. Before the wildebeest could regain its composure, she was ready.

"O divine spear, run my enemy through! Holy Lance!"

Suddenly, huge spears of light came on top of the wildebeest, impaling it and then exploded with a flash, erasing its existence. With that, the battle was over and both were generally okay. Estelle put away her weapons and hurried over to him. She began seeing the blood from his leg drip onto the ground as he stood up and puts his bat back onto his back.

"Are you okay? You did pretty good with the fight," Tai said, slightly hiding the pain from his facial expressions.

"You're bleeding!" Estelle said horrified, "Hold still! I can heal this!"

A bit annoyed that she completely ignored him, he said, "Look, I'm fine. I've dealt with worse injuries. This is just a little cut."

Ignoring him again, she bent down and held an arm towards the bleeding leg. Suddenly, a greenish-white energy swirled from her body and to his leg. With a weird magical charm, his leg was completely healed. Tai jerked back in response as he literally bent down on one knee and glared at the healed leg.

"Wh-What the!?" he said amazed.

"I have the ability to heal others and cure them of ailments," Estelle said happily.

"I see... no wonder you were one of the nine; they must've depended on you a lot," Tai said as he stood up.

"Hey, Tai, did you see that weird green energy that protected you from that first monster that attacked you?" she asked, wondering if he knew.

Secretly, the young man shivered with the thought that she actually was intrigued by what that was. By his body language and silence for a few moments, he knew what it was, but seemed as if he didn't want to talk about it. He shrugged, saying he didn't know, and answered Estelle's question.

"Don't know; I honestly didn't get a clear view to see it," Tai said, looking away unimpressed.

"Well, I wonder what it was; it was so eerie-feeling and sudden that it came out of nowhere," she said, slowly holding her hand close to her chest.

"Well, it's gone now. Come on," Tai said, signaling for her to join him in hurrying to the hold, "Let's get over there before we're attacked by more monsters."

"Right," Estelle said, as she began walking to Deidon Hold with him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – ...Creepy...

Estelle: (looks down, sad) _What was that? That weird pool of energy?_

Tai: (neutral face) _What, you're still on about that thing you saw?_

Estelle: (pained expression) _It was so creepy... it looked like..._(Tai looks to his right, uncaring face) _it was alive or something._ (looks down, sad) _I hope I never see it again..._

Tai: _Look, I don't what it is exactly you're talking about, but it helped me out, right?_

Estelle: (looks surprised) _Well, yes, it did._

Tai: (neutral face) _Then, should we just say it helped and leave it at that?_

Estelle: (neutral face) _I suppose so._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – That was nothing?!

Tai: (neutral face) _That healing power you used really helped me, Estelle. My leg feels a lot better now._

Estelle: (neutral face)_ I was so worried._ (looks down, sad) _When I saw your leg was bleeding badly, I had to tend to it right away. It hurts me to see people in pain._

Tai: (looks to his right, uncaring face, eyes closed)_ Ahh, this was just a cut; it was nothing._ (Estelle looks surprised) _I've had much worse injuries in the past before._

Estelle: (head turned to the right, scared face) _Wh-What? You suffered a deep puncture injury from that monster that cut open your leg badly! How could you have had a wound that was worse than that?_

Tai: (looks straight up, carefree face) _Well... if I recall..._ (neutral face, eyes closed) _I've had a few bones broken, a concussion from last year... oh!_ (looks straight up, carefree face) _There was this one time a monster nearly tore off my leg... and then-_

Estelle: (eyes clamped shut, screaming face with blush) _O-Okay, stop!_ (head turned to the right, scared face) (Tai looks with neutral face) _I don't think I want to hear about any of the horrible incident you've gone through._

Tai: (looks down to his lower right, sweatdrop, looks uncomfortable) _On second thought, I need to keep my mouth closed about that... Sorry, Estelle..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – You got skills

Tai: (interested face) _You know, for a princess, you got some game. Magic artes, healing artes, and sword and shield skills to boot. You don't fit the stereotype of "helpless princess", that's for sure._

Estelle: (neutral face) _Hehehe, thank you, Tai. I learned from a strict sword-master who is in the imperial knights from a very early age, and my magic and healing abilities were just second-nature to me._

Tai:_ And the fact you traveled with that Brave Vesperia gang must've really helped you along the way._ (neutral face) _You got quite some power in you, Estelle._

Estelle: _How about you? Did you learn to fight with somebody in Halure?_

Tai: (sly face, smirk) _Um, Estelle, that's really quite a theory you got there. When you think of Halure, you don't exactly go in there looking for strong fighter potential._ (neutral face, smiles)_ I trained myself. Hours upon days upon years, I honed my skills and body to be able to fight._

Estelle: _So, those strikes with your arms and legs and the skill with the bat?_

Tai: _All mine._

Estelle: (overjoyed face) _That's wonderful! You are such an amazing fighter! I can't wait to see what kind of artes you can do!_

Tai: (shoulders perk up, head raises up with shocked face, raised eyebrow) _Oh... um, cool._ (portrait moves to the left, showing he's speaking to himself, head moves down, the shadows covers his eyes, his mouth covered by his hoodie)_ I can't let her see my artes... if she does..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The second chapter is up. Please let me know how exactly I'm doing. I wanna be able to catch the characters perfectly and stuff like that. Anyways, how are all of you liking Tai? Is he a good character so far? ^^ Bye!


	3. Familiar Faces

Deidon Hold... a massive building with incredible endurance. The old fort stood incredibly rugged and strong... and tall as the two got closer to the building. Already, the huge fort was a bit unsettling to Tai. The feeling of being small, the fact that a lot of people inhabited this place more than the area in Halure in which he lived... man, he was wanting to get out of this place faster than he could breathe. Just looking at Estelle, he felt that unless he addressed this, she'd take her sweet old time in here. However, she beat him to it as she looked at him with curiosity.

"Tai?" he turned his head to look at her as she said, "I can tell that you're uncomfortable here... it seems a lot it's true; you don't like being in a big civilized area..."

"Well, it's not like I'm a caveman or anything..." Tai said, feeling as if Estelle was a bit degrading in that statement, "But I am just a bit nervous when it comes to big areas... So, I'm just gonna say this now, if you have anything you need to do here, then get it over with now. I don't want to rush you here, but... I really don't want to be dragged into side-stuff either..."

"I understand," Estelle said, nodding.

Sadly, Tai felt like he came off a bit too rude there. It looked like she was very distressed and eager to get the trip done or at least be alone with someone she knows better than him. He lowered his head a bit as she looked around and began to walk. Before she got too far away, he grabbed her hand gently.

"Huh? Tai, what is it?" she asked, turning back.

"Estelle, I'm really sorry," Tai groaned remorsefully, " Look, I'm really not joyful around huge groups of people, but that was downright rude of me to say that to you..."

Estelle smiled and giggled, covering her mouth a bit with her other hand. Blinking in shock as he let go, he tilted his head to the left and raised an eyebrow.

"Um... what's so funny?" he asked.

"Oh, it's just... I forgive you, but the way you said your apology and how you acted reminded me of two certain friends of mine who are apart of Brave Vesperia: Yuri Lowell and his partner Repede," she said, smiling and holding her arms in front of her, "Yuri is a straight up person who just says what he wants, regardless of how others react to it, and Repede doesn't like being in a place where there are tons of people he doesn't know."

"So, I'm being compared to people you like?" Tai said, slightly smiling, "Wonderful. Great to know I'm a face of memories."

Estelle actually laughed at that. It sort of brought a smile to Tai's face. But why? Was making others happy a good thing to him? He never liked people, but something about helping others made him happy. But at least, Estelle was cheerful again. That was some big bonus.

"All right, let's pass through," Tai said, but as they began to walk towards the other side, past the tents that offered a night's rest, it seemed that there was a huge group of knights.

"Huh? What's going on?" Estelle said, "There's an awful amount of knights in Deidon Hold."

"Well, this continent is owned by the imperial emperor, right?" Tai asked, "So, it would make more sense if the knights would be guarding such an important travel fort to stop monsters like the Lord of the Plains."

"Oh, you mean Brutal?" Estelle asked, tilting her head a bit.

"Wait, that's what that monster's name is?" the young man said, adjusting his headphones on his ears once more.

"Yes, in fact, he was one of nine giganto monsters that the group I traveled with defeated," Estelle said, smiling.

She suddenly saw a look of unbelievable amazement on her new acquaintance's face. He blinked in surprise as the complete power and truth in her words just came up behind him and smashed him in the face.

"Wait... what? You killed off the Lord of the Plains by yourselves?" he struggled to speak.

"Well, not by her lonesom', ya know. We had ta work pretty hard as a team ta pull that unbelievable feat off."

A voice from behind Estelle spoke as its body came towards them. It was an older man who was scraggly-looking on his face, letting his beard be unkept. His huge spiky hair was tied into a ponytail that stood out instead of just laying down against his back. Wearing a purple and yellow coat over a pink shirt and black pants and other clothing, he kept a hold on his short dagger in his coat. Well whoever he was, it seemed Estelle knew him, Tai thought.

"Raven!" she cheered his name, apparently happy to see him.

"Yo!" he said, smiling as he offered a hug, to which Estelle kindly backed up with a nervous smile and a bit twitchy, "What? Still no hug for ol' Raven?"

"It is good to see you again, Raven," Estelle said smiling, "It's been a long time since we've traveled."

"Ahhh, I guess you're just not ready ta understand the beauty of true hugs, yer highness," the man said, shrugging and shaking his head.

He... didn't know why, but something about this guy just made him really smile and happy. He didn't know what it was or why it did what it did, but just having this Raven guy around made him content, as if he met a possible friend or somebody who knew his pain. Tai just watched the two converse a little bit until the man ended up looking at him.

"Ooooh, and who is this young man?" he smirked, rubbing his chin.

"Oh! Raven, this is Tai. He's helping me be escorted to Zaphias so I can visit Flynn," she said, introducing the teen.

"Yo," Tai waved his hand up as he dug the glove-covered arm into his pockets.

"Well, then it's my turn. Allow me ta introduce myself; you are lookin' at Raven the Great!" the man said, announcing his name loudly with a confident smile.

Now, Estelle was expecting Tai to make some snappy comeback to his introduction. After all, all of her friends did, especially on how Raven always acted. But to her surprise, the young teen looked rather pleased and excited to meet him.

"Well, it's an honor, Raven the Great," he said smirking under his hood.

Still baffled by the teen's unexpected turn of social politeness, she turned to Raven and asked, "So, what are you doing here in Deidon Hold? I thought you went back to Dhangrest."

"Well, I did, but then I happen one day ta receive a letter from the one and only Commandant Flynn Scifo, askin' me ta com' help him," Raven said, shrugging with an hilarious sigh, "I couldn't refuse, since Harry as the new Don ordered me ta."

"Wait, is Flynn here?" Estelle asked with a curious face.

Tai's ears tuned in completely; if Flynn was here, he didn't have to take her to Zaphias and go to the hell-hole he feared. Hallelujah, his heart hoped so hard that this guy was here. He looked around to see if he could spot him at all as Raven began to answer.

"Yup, he's over in that group of knights," Raven pointed behind him with a sly smile, as suddenly Estelle ran off, leaving the two males behind.

Tai blinked in shock as she just bolted over there without even telling him. Wonderful, she already is breaking the promise these two made to the mayor. Well, the guy she was going after was already there, so it wasn't that bad. He simply sighed and put his hands in his pockets before a certain Raven got tired of silence.

"So, Tai, where ya from?" he asked, putting his hands on his head.

"Hm? Oh, just over at Halure," Tai said, turning his attention to the man, "All I'm doing is just helping Estelle visit Flynn or whatever his name is and then bringing her back to Halure."

"Oh, really? Sounds like you're not the kind of person who enjoys the beautiful world outside of civilization," he said.

Thinking about what he just said could be true, he answered, "To be honest, that's not the case. I'd love to travel outside of Halure... if this wasn't my first time being outside, and the fact that I have to stick by Estelle at all times."

"Oh? Well, then, Tai, is it? How is the good experience outside into the world?" Raven asked smiling.

"...It's incredible," Tai said, smirking, "It's so free and quiet, unlike people in big places. I love the feeling of it so much. But I'm still really cautious. It's very hard to get used to."

"Ahh, that's what the little princess was like as well. Keep goin' out here for as long as she did, and it'll be like second-nature ta you," Raven replied back to him, as he looked back to see Estelle coming along with a certain knight, "and perfect timin' for those two ta com' over."

As he turned to see Estelle come over, she was walking over with a blond-haired knight whose hair was spiky towards the left. He wore the blue commandant armor and uniform as he kept his royal sword in his sheathe. His cape slowly followed in the wind behind him as he stood next to her once they were there.

"If I can, Tai, I'd like you to be introduced to the commandant of the imperial knights and a good friend of mine: Flynn Scifo," Estelle said, smiling.

"Hello, it's my pleasure to meet you," the man said politely as he bowed his head.

As Tai raised an eyebrow at him, Estelle then looked at Flynn and said, "This is the person who helped me come here to see you. His name is Tai."

"Mhm," he said, nodding to him, a bit catching onto the princess' annoyed sense at the fact he was friendly with Raven, but not to him.

"So, what are you doing here in Deidon Hold with your brigade here, Flynn?" she asked him as he turned to her.

"Well, to be honest, a bit of a urgent problem has arisen from Dhangrest," the knight explained, "Apparently, a group of mercenaries have been going around and committing crimes that have ranged from vandalism to assaults, but they recently have been doing something very strange: stealing blastia and their cores."

The two teens blinked in shock as Tai asked, "Isn't that kind of useless though to worry about that? What's the point of giving charges of stealing if the blastia and their cores don't work anymore?"

Flynn nodded and replied, "That may be true, but the blastia and cores are still property of cities and towns. That's still the same as stealing someone's possessions. And since they came from Dhangrest and there's a rumor that they might be former guild members and imperial knights among them, I asked for the Don's help. I was greatly honored that General Schwann could come back a-"

"Hey! I'm not this Schwann person! I'm Raven! How many times do I gotta tell you youngings?" Raven flinched at this and shook his head, turning away, "Geez, ya kids have a worse memory than I got!"

A question mark could've been seen over Tai's head as he continued to look at the man. Despite the fact that he was confused a bit, it seemed Estelle was still interested in talking with Flynn. Tai soon noticed this and cleared his throat as Flynn looked at him at the same time.

"So, what are you and Estelle traveling from Halure for?" he asked the teen.

"Believe it or not, to see you, Flynn. Estelle wanted to be able to visit you, I guess for catching up and stuff like that," Tai said, shrugging as he closed his eyes.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid I won't be able to afford a visit. I was actually going to Capua Nor in order to recruit two knights who happened to be personal friends of mine. I'm sending Raven back to Zaphias in order to get a friend of mine named Yuri Lowell to help us," he said.

"Oh, dang... Sorry, Estelle," Tai said, feeling bad for the girl... who suddenly perked up with an innocent smile.

"Oh, then let me come with Raven! I can visit Yuri!" she cheered happily.

A flinch of fear crept up Tai's spine as he stuttered a bit. Unable to speak and watch the horror unravel, he lowered his head and the shadows covered his face. Apparently being a wise person for once, Raven caught onto his behavior and studied it for a little bit. Flynn slowly nodded and smiled.

"All right, Estelle, you may go with Raven as long as Tai goes with you. After all, Yuri will be overjoyed to see you again," he said.

"Heeheehee, I can't wait to see him and Repede again!" she said happily as Flynn turned to the teen.

"I'm going to leave now and head out. Take care, Lady Estellise," Flynn said as they all said good-bye and he left the conversation.

Estelle happily turned back to the other two, but suddenly caught wind of the negative energy coming off of the boy. She suddenly realized the goof-up she just did as he began to speak.

"So, I really have to go to Zaphias, don't I?" he said groaning, "Damn, this is going to be painful..."

Suddenly, as if an angel came out to help Estelle find a way to cheer him up a little bit, they heard Raven say, "Well, if the Commandant is going ta be headin' ta the port city, it seems that ol' Raven has no choice but ta start headin' to Zaphias."

Suddenly, Tai looked up with interest and possibly muttered 'oh cool'. At least, that's what Estelle thought she heard. Smiling with a cheerful wink, Raven told them he would soon be at the entrance waiting too. With that, the two teens were left to talk with each other a bit before heading out towards the entrance.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Communication

Tai: (head moves down, the shadows covers his eyes, his mouth covered by his hoodie)_ …_

Estelle: (looks down, sad) _…Tai... I'm very sorry._

Tai: (grumpy face) _Estelle, do you not remember what the mayor said? We're partners; we need to communicate, let the other know what we're doing. I didn't want to go to Zaphias where a lot of people are, but now I'm forced to because you didn't talk it out with me._

Estelle: (closes eyes)_ I know! I... know. I'm just really sorry. It's just a fault of mine; when I see someone or something that needs to be taken care of or peeks my interested, I get side-tracked._

Tai: (neutral face) _Do you do this a lot...?_

Estelle:_ …_

Tai: _Hey, it's cool._ (smiles, Estelle smiles, her head turning to the left) _It was an accident in all honesty. I'll let it go. But please, try to talk with me next time, okay?_

Estelle: _Hehe, okay._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Raven's WHO?!

Tai: (neutral face) _So, Estelle, can you tell me about this Raven guy? I'm interested in him._

Estelle: (neutral face) _When I was traveling with Brave Vesperia, we went to several places place like Keiv Moc, a forest on the boarding continent. We ran into Raven multiple times before that, but he joined up with us at the forest. He's a very clever and sly man who's able to dig up leads and is a high member of Altosk._

Tai: _Altosk?_

Estelle: _The biggest out of the five major guilds of Dhangrest. But despite his involvement, his other identity is General Schwann._

Tai: (shoulders perk up, head raises up with shocked face, raised eyebrow) _Raven is General Schwann of the Schwann Brigade?_

Estelle: _Yes... but since he's had a bad past with the identity, he tries to ignore his real name and just goes by Raven. He's a very interesting... and suspicious person._

Tai: (interested face) _Suspicious?_

Estelle:_ Well..._ (looks down, sad) _He's... a bit of a... womanizer. He tends to lose his cool when it comes to really cute woman._

Tai: (sly face, smirk) _Is that so...? Hehehe, well, I'm gonna just have to keep my eye on this guy, then._ (neutral face, smiles, Estelle looks surprised) _Thanks for the heads-up on him, Estelle._

Estelle: _Tai... you really want to be associate with Raven, don't you?_

Tai: _Maybe, Estelle._ (Estelle smiles, her head turning to her left) _Maybe..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Raven and Flynn finally make their appearances. Rather strange to have other characters besides Yuri and Repede starting it off, but they will be coming soon. Just all of you wait. ^^ Keep on reading and tell me if you like it. ^^


	4. Um, To Zaphias!

The duo headed towards the capital-path exit and saw that Raven was waiting for them, leaning against a building and holding his head with his hands. Smiling softly, he turned his head towards them and pushed off the building to get him walking. He held his short knife ever so closely as he raised an eyebrow and turned his head to them.

"It seems you two are ready ta shove off, eh?" Raven said cheerfully.

"Yes, we've made all our provisions and are ready to travel with you," Estelle said, nodding with a smile.

"In other words, Estelle hurried and got all we needed stat so we can book it to the capital and see these two people you're getting for Flynn asap," Tai said, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Tai!" he heard the princess said, scolding him.

"What? Isn't that the truth?" he looked at her, causing her to pout a bit and Raven to smirk.

"Well, well, yer ladyship, seems you wanna see Yuri and Repede badly, don'tcha?" Raven winked as he rubbed his chin again.

"Yes," Estelle said, finally admitting the teen was right, "I haven't seen them in so long. I know it's only been months, but I've missed them so."

"Well, have no fear, because Raven the Great will help you get ta Zaphias!" the old man cheered loudly, as if to sound heroic and mighty.

A slight wind breeze went by with silence, as if to say the man wasn't as mighty as the imagination he had suggested. It caused a brief chuckle out of the two teenagers. With a slumping of his shoulders, the purped-dressed man dropped his head in silence and let out a disappointed sigh. But his attitude uplifted with happiness as he heard that certain boy speak. Once again, Estelle was surprised at this behavior and who it was going towards as well.

"Awesome, Raven," Tai smiled, "We will need your help."

"Ahh, thanks, kid," Raven said, giving him a thumbs-up, "Seems ya know when ta compliment your adults when you need to. Respect; a smart thing a lot of youngings today don't have."

"Raven, just because Yuri and the others didn't... treat you well back then, doesn't mean we don't respect and like you," Estelle said, looking concerned at him.

"Hm? You mean this Yuri person we're picking up and the group you went out with treated him like crap?" Tai said, obviously a bit interested and not liking these people one bit.

"Oh, no, it's not like that... well... not all the time," Estelle tried to defend, but even then what Raven said was true, "They may have mistreated him from time to time, but Raven is a very respected and loved member of us who defeated the Adephagos."

"...Mhm..." the boy glared at both, and folded his arms, "Well, fair warning, I'm gonna watch out for this. If this happens again, I'm stepping in."

Fearing of what this boy might actually do, she tried to say, "Wait, Tai, please think of-"

"Now now, yer ladyship, if he wants ta stand up for ol' Raven, then let him," the old man said, smiling, "Plus, I kinda feel honored he'd wanna stick up for me."

"It's what I would want someone else to do for me," Tai said, smiling and mock-saluting with his right fingers.

"Well then, kiddos, it's time to head out. Shall we get goin'?" Raven said, winking to them as he turned towards the exit.

"Yes, let's continue our journey," Estelle said happily as they began to move towards the capital and slowly towards their destination.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Raven joined the party.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The travel to the capital was very quiet a peaceful, except for the few monster attacks. They were relatively weaker on this side of the hold. Just a few wolves and plant-type monsters were killed in like a few seconds. Estelle and Raven didn't even need to use artes at all really; just with their weapons they could kill them with ease. But Tai kept a very close eye on the old man's fighting style. He liked his bow and arrows, how he fired them while dodging in a very unique fashion, how the short knife came into play when enemies came to close, and how despite his age, the man could jump really high and was nimble.

It was coming to the last two monsters: a wolf, and some kind of pink fungus. It was where something happened that the teen didn't want to happen. Anyways, Estelle had run up to the wolf and tried to deal a fatal strike to it, but she missed as the wolf dodged to the side. It caught her off guard and caused her to fall. Seeing her open, the enemy started to growl and charge at her. Seeing her in peril but too far away, Tai quickly scanned the area to see where Raven was, but unfortunately he was just finishing off the fungus that he turned right as the wolf charged for her.

"Darn it! We're not gonna make it in time!" Raven said, worried as he ran towards Estelle.

Tai tried to sprint as fast as he could, but he wouldn't make it either by the time he got there. Estelle widened her eyes as the wolf lunged for her and bore his fangs out at her. Causing her to scream in fear as she closed her eyes, it hit the fact that his hope for her not seeing it was inevitable. Grunting in frustration, Tai stopped running and sheathed his bat onto his back again. He slowly raised his left demonic glove towards the enemy and held his right side of his headphones. Closing his eyes for a second, Raven slyly noticed his glove show its green design with in the blackness as it glowed. Opening his eyes, Tai glared at the wolf.

Before the wolf got to her, Estelle didn't notice out of fear that the same dark liquid came out from underneath the two and slowly bubbled. Suddenly, a shout was heard.

"Shadow Spike!"

It was then that a huge impaling spike came up from underneath the wolf and went through it. With a huge yelp catching her attention, Estelle watched as the spike went in a curve and then smashed the wolf into the ground, causing a huge explosion of smoke and dirt kicked up. After a few seconds, she gasped to see the wolf was dead and the energy slowly began to disappear. Estelle and Raven both looked at Tai, who just in time had run over to her and helped her up.

"Estelle, you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Y-Yes, but... that energy... it came back, Tai!" the princess exclaimed, a bit out of it from so much shock.

"I guess ya can thank Tai for that, yer highness," Raven walked over, smiling.

Both looked over to him with widened eyes, but each had different reasons. Estelle was surprised that the was the one who helped her all along was the teen, but Tai was scared that he slipped up.

"What are you talking about, Raven?" the boy tried to act unknowingly.

"Sorry, kiddo, but ya can't fool me. I saw your glove or whatever the thingy is glow and you yelled the arte name," the old man rubbed his chin and winked to him, "Then, that dark energy cam' out and saved Estelle. That was you, wasn't it?"

Found out, the sigh and lowering of the head signaled the man was right as Tai said, "Dang... you really did see..."

Estelle looked at the teenager and asked, "Tai, you used that energy back near Halure when you were ambushed, didn't you? Why didn't you tell me you could do that?"

"...It's just I don't like using artes if I don't need to," Tai said, turning from both of them and looked up into the sky, slightly blushing, "Plus, the last time I used that kind of arte, I scared people back in Halure because they never saw it. Not to mention every freaking person who visited Halure who caught a glimpse at it wanted to take me away and either use me as a guard or a mage wanted to pull me to Aspio to study it."

"You're respectful of what people feel about yer artes? Gotta give ya credit; that arte was incredible; can't blame people for bein' scared of that," Raven said, putting his hands on his head and causing Tai to blush more.

"So, how can you do those artes, Tai?" Estelle asked, smiling as she became interested.

"It's this glove," Tai said, showing her it, "When my blastia used to work, I could manipulate aer into this and used the glove's power: this dark sort of energy that can be twisted into any shape or form I wish. But once again, I don't like using artes."

"Well, you might need to get used ta it, ya know," Raven said, letting go of his head and standing in his stance of holding his knife, "If we're gonna be travelin', we might need your help every now and then. Not ta put stress on ya, Tai, but ya know."

"Got it... But..." Tai said, turning back and looking at them, "Can... I ask you two to promise not to tell anyone it's me if I happen to use it again?"

"Of course! If it makes you nervous for people to know about your artes, I promise I'll keep it a secret," Estelle said happily, smiling.

"And you can count on ol' Raven ta keep his trap shut about it, too," the old man winked and grinning, pointing to himself.

"Thanks, I really appreciate this. Anyways," Tai said, smiling relieved and then pointed to the capital, now only a bridge-crossing away as the three headed over it, "let's get to Zaphias and get this over with."

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Just wonderin'

Raven: (neutral face) _Hey, Estelle. Can I ask you a question? It's about Tai._

Estelle: (neutral face) _Of course. What is it?_

Raven: _It seems the kid is a lot better than he's letting on when it comes to fightin'. He says that he was from Halure. Are ya sure that's true?_

Estelle: _Yes. According to not only him, but the mayor of Halure and some of the people I talked to in the city as well. Tai has lived for over ten years there, training himself for fighting. It's also obvious since when we first left Halure, he was trembling and looked really nervous._

Raven: _Hmmm... Tremblin' with fear..._ (head tilts to the right, smiling) _or tremblin' with excitement?_

Estelle: (looks surprised) _Huh?_

Raven: T_he kid told me once you were talkin' with Flynn, he was ecstatic ta be outside of Halure for the first time. He said he'd like ta go explorin' more, but he's right now too cautious._

Estelle: _So... are you implying...?_

Raven: _Yep. Maybe the kid was trainin' so he could take off someday._

Estelle: _Really?_ (looks down, sad) _Then why did he react so angrily when the mayor said he needed to come with me to see Flynn?_

Raven: (looks up to the right, thinking face) _Huh. I wonder myself..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Stick together

Estelle: (overjoyed) _I'm so excited to be able to go back into Zaphias. It's been so long since I've been able to see the castle and the quarters! And I can't wait to see Yuri and Repede again!_

Tai: (head moves down, the shadows covers his eyes, his mouth covered by his hoodie) _…_

Raven: (eyes narrow, unimpressed face) _Looks like the kid isn't really all that anxious to be goin' into the city._

Estelle: (looks surprised) _Huh? Tai?_

Tai: _…_

Raven: _Hey, now,_ (looks up to the right, thinking face) _I catch his drift._ (head tilts to the right, smiling) _He's nervous because since he doesn't like bein' in large groups of people. So, he's not lookin' forward to this whatsoever._

Estelle: (neutral face) _It's gonna be okay, Tai. We're going to the lower quarter of Zaphias. That has the least amount of people there._

Tai: (neutral face) _Oh?_

Raven: (neutral face) _Yup. Just a quick walk through the public quarter and then you're home free. Don't worry; as long as ya stick near ol' Raven and the princess, ya got nothin' to worry about._

Estelle: _We promise we'll help you if you get shaken up, Tai._

Tai: (smiles) _Thank you, guys._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Man, the huge hustle and bustle of the public quarter shot through the headphones... the people walking so close to him, the fact he felt crushed by people being everywhere, the people... he couldn't like this at all. Despite that Raven was behind him and Estelle was to his left, he felt just invaded and rotten. He dug his hands into his pockets as the hood's shadow once again covered his face. A groan came from him as they got to the middle.

"...uurrh..."

"Tai..." Estelle said, really noticing the teen wasn't joking about hating public areas.

"So noisy... so clustered... I hate this..." he muttered.

"Wow, the kid's not jokin'," Raven said, raising an eye at the teen slouching posture and the fact he quickly reached for his headphones, "He REALLY hates places with lots of people."

"Damn it... not even my music and headphones can drown out this horrible noise of people talking..." Tai grumbled as he glared out of his hood and to the two, "Can we please get to the lower dime or whatever you called it now?"

"The lower quarter is right down that pathway," Estelle said, pointing towards a ramp that lead down away from the public quarter, "Follow me, Tai. We'll get you out of here."

"Okay..." Tai said slowly as the three started to make their way towards the lower quarter.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

And Raven joins the party! I won't really go into the Tales of character artes, only the original. I also know a video link of Patty's artes, so if anyone wants to know what they look like, PM me and I can tell. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this and hold your breath; Yuri and Repede are right around the corner for entering the story!


	5. A gentle visit

Reviews: DeMerio: Ooh, another nice chapter! Tai is starting to sound more and more badass every chapter. At least in my opinion. I like how mysterious he is too, I wonder what secrets he hides... I can't wait for the next chapter and YURI AND REPEDE! Whoo!

I'll try to keep him that way, and any suggestions can help me. ^^ And here you go, Yuri and Repede now in the story resides. ^^ BTW, Thank you, DeMerio. It's because of you that I've gotten this started. ^^ Now enjoy.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Ahh... just a boring old day. I wonder how Flynn's doing..."

Yuri Lowell sat near his window and just stared out into the city life of the lower quarter. It had been boring since Brave Vesperia had taken a break from guild work and parted ways for a little bit. He slowly sighed, being bored after all of busy noises of Zaphias. Just being around there made him feel a bit lonely and longing again. Repede slept silently in the corner near his bed as the wind breathed into the room.

"Huh. The world is so quiet since we put an end to the blastia," he said to himself, "but there's such a overwhelming boredom here. I guess it can't be helped since what I've done outside the capital."

It was then he heard footsteps coming upstairs loudly and approach the door. Repede's ears twitched annoyingly as he opened his eye. Yuri sighed, rolling his eyes then turning his gaze to the window.

"Ted, if you're gonna barge into my room, the least you can do is knock first," he said loudly, anticipating the boy coming in.

However to their surprise, it was Hanks walking through the door with a smile. He folded his arms and caught Yuri off guard by his unexpected appearance.

"Seems you're slipping, Yuri, though I do appreciate the compliment of me being thought of as younger," he said.

"Oh, sorry," Yuri said, smiling a bit as he stood up, "It's rare for you to come up to my room, Hanks. What's up?"

"Well, I came to tell you that it appears that Princess Estelle is back in the capital," he said.

Repede's ears perking up, Yuri blinking in surprise and replied, "Wait, she's here? I thought she lived in Halure."

"Well, then, explain why she's down right now in the lower quarter with two friends of hers looking for you, surprisingly," he retorted with a smirk.

Yuri chuckled, shaking his head at the teasing remark, "Well, I guess I can't keep the princess waiting. How about you, Repede?"

Repede barked, despite his dislike for her constantly trying to be friends with him, he did miss time traveling with her and the others.

"All right, we'll be down in a second, Hanks," he nodded to the old man.

"Yeah, better not keep her waiting. Seems she's really anxious. Tell her I said hello too, would ya? I have a lot of meetings today, so I can't afford a visit. Good luck," Hanks chuckled as he walked out of the door.

Yuri walked over to his sword, sheathed and hanging from the wall, grabbed it and began to walk out the door. Repede slowly followed behind him as the two began to make their way to meet Estelle.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Estelle is back

Yuri: (neutral face) _Well, Repede, looks like Estelle's paying us a visit. I hope she's been doing good in Halure._

Repede: (barking upward, neutral face) _Woof woof!_

Yuri: _To be honest, I wonder why she's traveling back here to Zaphias. She was going on and on about living in Halure._ (closes eyes) _It makes me wonder if she's here for more than just a visit._

Repede: (barking upward, neutral face) _Woof woof WOOF!_

Yuri: _I know, I know._ (opens eyes) _I'm happy to be able to see her again too._

Repede: (barking upward) _WOOF!_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\_  
_

Walking up the stairs that led down to the inn, Yuri and Repede came up at the same time Estelle, Raven, and Tai came down from the public quarter. Immediately, the man was able to spot the three. Seeing the princess, she looked around curiously and even stood on her tiptoes to look for him. He blinked at the old man being there. He didn't expect Raven by her side, especially since he was in Dhangrest when they left him. But it made perfect sense that he would help her get to the capital.

"Heh. Seems the old man has the same sketchy and slimy look as ever. And the princess looks completely innocent-appearing also," Yuri said, smirking.

He was rewarded with an agreeing bark from Repede. But his smirk faded as he laid eyes on the third person. The teenager hidden in a green hoodie slumped as if he was in agony. He had never seen him before at all; and he looked like a sore thumb with Estelle and Raven.

"It seems they picked up somebody new with them; I wonder who he is..." Yuri said, obviously interested after seeing his weapon and glove-covered arm.

Over on the other side, the trio were searching for the dark-haired man and his partner. However, since black is a common color to wear and you're not like the three wearing unique and bright colored clothing that make you stick out, it's easy for people with dark colors to blend in. Worried about a certain someone getting uneasy more than he was, Estelle turned to them.

"Hey, Tai, I have an idea," she said smiling.

The boy looked up, his eyes screaming of her to make it quick, as she continued, "Why not wait down there near the ramp there for us? It's an exit right outside of the city, so if you feel uncomfortable, you can just head out there. Raven and I will come out that way so you won't be left behind, okay?"

"Don't worry, kid," Raven winked and saluted to him, "We won't be leavin' ya behind. But just stay close, just in case of the unexplained-unpredictable stuff happenin' on us, 'kay?"

"Okay," Tai said, nodding as he turned and immediately headed down the ramp.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Tai left the party.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Just as Yuri and Repede started to head over, they noticed the teen walking away from the group. He seemed pretty shady of a character, as he buried his hands in his pockets, hid his face in the hood, and walked off, only to stop and rest against a wall near the lower quarter exit of the city. Why was someone like him traveling with Estelle and the old man? However, he shrugged it off (for now) and began his way over to his friends, only to see the Princess got a glimpse of him.

"YURI!" She yelled happily as she ran over to him and hugged him.

Caught off guard by this, he stuttered a bit with widened eyes and blinked a few times. Hearing her sigh, he slowly smiled and let her hug him gently as she soon broke it and stood happily smiling.

"It's so good to see you again, Yuri!" she chimed, holding her hands rather tightly in excitement.

"It's great to see you too, Estelle. It's been a while," Yuri nodded to her, and said calmly.

"Aww, ain't that cute? The two of you youngings huggin'," Raven said, walking over and saying with a smile, and causing Estelle to blush a bit.

"Well, well, I thought something stunk around here. You know, there's a thing called baths, Raven; you should use them, so that way you don't smell, old man," Yuri glared unimpressed at him, putting a hand on his hip, as Estelle pouted at her failed attempt to pet Repede, who backed away from her.

"Hey, com' on! Several months go by since we were together, and this is the welcom' ol' Raven gets?" Raven said, losing his smile and making a disappointed face.

"Act that way, and your answer is yes. Actually change, and I might be more cheerful to see you. Emphasis on both 'might' and 'cheerful'," Yuri said, smirking.

"Heh... ya know I'm gonna be stickin' around like this for a while; guess it's no use, even if I tried," the old man shrugged, grinning, "And here I've been sent ta ask for yer help."

"Hm? What now?" the man asked, as Repede turned his head and looked towards a certain someone.

"Commandant Flynn has been assigned a task regardin' some former imperial knights and guild members stealin' blastias and cores, although they don't work no more," Raven explained in a serious tone, "He's right now headin' off to the port city to recruit some friends of his, but he asked ol' Raven here ta com' for yer help on the matter."

"Hm... if he asked you to come all the way from Dhangrest to here, then this is definitely no joke," Yuri said, looking down and holding his chin, "Maybe Brave Vesperia could help. I bet Karol and especially Judy would like to get in on this."

"So, you're coming with us?" Estelle said, happily.

"I guess I can spare time to help out. How about you, Repede?" he asked.

Repede, still staring at the person his gaze was on, still was able to reply with a bark. Yuri noted the person who his partner was eying was in fact Tai. Raising an eyebrow, he turned his head back into the conversation and noticed Estelle celebrating a bit.

"Yay! We can travel again, just like we used to, Yuri!" she said, causing him to smile.

"And this will give Flynn a bit of a relief as well. Glad you could spare the time ta help us out, Yuri," Raven said, smirking with him rubbing his chin.

"Hey, I don't mind. Now..." Yuri said, then deciding to investigate, "About that other person who was with you..."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Wow, just incredible. A little ramp had less noise than all of the city. He guessed maybe he'd have to stick with exits from now on. A lot more happy, Tai silently listened to his music and bobbed his head back and forth slightly to the tunes he was listening too. That didn't mean, of course, he didn't take a look around the place. If it wasn't so noisy, he would've loved living in this lower quarter. The people did look nice and kind and the water fountain in the middle was pretty sweet.

"Ahh, come on, you two," he said, gently to himself, "Hurry up."

He took the time to gaze up at them just to see how it was going. He saw Yuri, the long haired man, speaking with the princess and the old man. He was pretty skilled, just by observing his sword and how he stood. Glancing around, he couldn't seem to find this "partner" of his, but he did happen to see the dog. That's when a thought hit him.

_"Wait a minute... That's... Repede?"_ he thought, his eyes narrowing with a mixture of annoyance and let-down, _"Estelle is seriously comparing me... to a dog?"_

His pupils turning into dots from how much of a disbelief and irritation the calculation in his head rang, he groaned/grunted and shook his head. Face-palming came across his mind, but he'd rather not, for he was comfortable with how he was standing.

_"Way to go, your highness, making me feel wonderful about who I am..._"

But upon taking a second look at the dog, it seemed that Repede was staring at him. Not blankly, but as if he was studying him, observing his movements. Once he took note of it, he lowered his head a bit, so the dog couldn't see his eyes. Turning his head back into a neutral viewpoint, he still glanced at them, counter-studying why he was being stared at. Suddenly, it hit him. In different parts of their conversation, once Estelle and Raven looked away or at each other at the same time, Yuri would glance at him from the corner of his eyes with a very serious look. What, did these two suspect him as something?

_"I get the feeling these two think I'm some sort of bad guy..."_ he thought, _"I better get up there and make sure they don't get some kind of bad impression of me."_

But before he made his way up the ramp and could get close enough to be seen for their attention, he was suddenly stopped by a huge sword and spear being pointed at him. Before they got too close, he jumped back and kept his right arm back, just in case he needed his bat. Quickly tracing where they came from, two imperial knights, one who was really skinny and had bloated lips with a black mustache, and the other who was really short and round, held their weapons out in front of him, preventing him any further access.

"Halt! What do you think you are doing approaching the princess?" the short one said, announcing it boldly.

"I'm just walking over there; what's the crime?" Tai said, stunned but then allowing his attitude to flow into his words.

"Don't think you can fool us! I say, we will defeat you, scum of Leviathan's Claw!" the skinny one declared, struggling to keep his helmet from closing.

Tai tilted his head, and with a bit of silence, muttered, "...Um...What?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Let's hope Tai can find some way out of this. But in the end, it's hard to get away from Tweedle A and Tweedle B, right, Yuri? Anyways, here's another chapter done and I'll keep 'em coming! Hope you like it!


	6. It all just goes to hell

Well, this day had shaped up to be very annoying to him definitely. All it started with was a simple beautiful morning with all the chores done so Tai could relax and spend the day lounging around. Then, it went to hell; forced to be a bodyguard for some princess, is kicked out of Halure to go with her, having to fight monsters in which one nearly clipped his leg off, going into not one, but two places with tons of people. And now, these two bogus excuses for knights were pointing their weapons at him. Just... peachy.

"Do you have something in your ears, vile fiend? You think you can just walk past us and attack the princess like that?" the short one said.

Tai glared with a tired look at them, "I wasn't going to attack the princess; I was just simply wa-"

"Ha! I say, we will not fall for your lies! Agent of Leviathan's Claw, prepare to taste justice!" the skinny one declared.

"Wait, I'm not apart of this Leviathan's Claw! What makes you th-," Tai tried to reason as he shook his head.

"Hah! We caught you lying! You just admitted it!" the skinny one shouted.

"No! I said the name because you just rep- … Never mind. Look, it's not very nice to just go up to people and claim they're bad guys without proof," Tai gave up after being interrupted twice and just said to their faces, "Unless you got evidence, then get out of my way."

"How dare you talk to the imperial knights that way!" the short one scolded him for his attitude as the two.

"Either move or I'm gonna do more than just talk down to you," Tai threatened as the shadows of his hood covered his face and his evil glare shined through his hood at them, "If you're smart enough, you'll catch my drift."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rewinding a bit, as Tai began walking up and was stopped by the duo of ignorant knights, Yuri had just tuned back into the conversation that he was having with Raven and Estelle.

"Yay! We can travel again, just like we used to, Yuri!" she said, causing him to smile.

"And this will give Flynn a bit of a relief as well. Glad you could spare the time to help us out, Yuri," Raven said, smirking with him rubbing his chin.

"Hey, I don't mind. Now..." Yuri said, then deciding to investigate, "About that other person who was with you..."

"Oh, ya mean the newcomer kid that was with us?" Raven smirked, putting his hands on his head and tapping his foot gently on the ground carefree.

"Yeah, him. He looked like an odd guy. Mind telling me what he's doing traveling with you guys and why he's over there when I come over? It's kinda fishy if you ask me, just like the old man," Yuri asked in a serious tone, getting a glare from Raven, but not caring.

"Yuri, it's not like he's a bad guy; he's just not that social," Estelle said, trying to defend Tai from her friend's negative labeling, "He's really nice and friendly, when you get to know him a little... though it takes time."

"Yeah, Yuri, don't take the kid as a downer; he's a really cool guy," Raven said, winking.

"Well, can you tell me about him, like his name?" Yuri asked.

But fate had a funny way to stopping it before Tai's name could be cleared... or even said. Suddenly, a knight from the Flynn Brigade came running down the ramp to the trio. He gently stopped and caught his breath for a bit before addressing the old man.

"Captain Raven! We have some urgent news!" he said, sounding tired and worried.

"Well, alright! Whatcha got for ol' Raven?" the old man asked, dropping into his neutral standing pose.

"Some monsters have been sighted near Deidon Hold and Halure and they have brought an army. Flynn is taking care of the situation, but he would like it if you could come back and help take care of the rest of them with him," the knight said, bowing and then after taking his leave, hurried back.

"Well, I guess that's ol' Raven's cue to get back there and help him clean those monsters out," Raven said, turning to the other two, "Shall we all com' together and get to wipin' them out?"

"I'm ready," Estelle said, nodded as she looked serious.

"I guess I'm coming too. Nobody gets to kick Flynn's butt besides me," Yuri said, smirking as he looked down to his partner, "Right, Repede?"

As the dog tuned in and barked in agreement, the man nodded and turned to Raven, "All right, let's make our way to Deidon Hold," and then the group turned and ran towards the public quarter, the princess and old man forgetting a certain somebody behind.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Yuri and Repede joined the party.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Just as Tai finished threatening the two knights to get out of his way, he noticed the conversation with the knight Estelle and Raven were having also with the other man and the dog. But it suddenly took a chilly fearful turn for him as the group suddenly began running back up into the city, leaving him there with these two bozos in green clothing and armor!

"Wha- Hey, Estelle! Wait!" he called, trying to run after them as he didn't want to get left behind and be alone in this pit of people.

Unfortunately, he was stopped by the two knights standing side by side in his face, and causing him to take a step back. He grunted in frustration as he glared at them and realized what he needed to do. He slowly reached for his bat as the knights held their weapons out at him and got into a battle stance.

"Hey, it's rude to just run away while you're talking to someone! It seems this evil doer must be taught manners, Adecor!" the short one said, calling his fellow night by name.

"I say, Boccos, you are indeed right! He shall taste the flavor of imperial justice!" the other replied, readying his sword to attack.

"You know? I'm really not surprised to see why you're just simple city guards," Tai said degrading as he shrugged with a taunting yet serious face, unknowing to the three there that they were attracting the attention of a crowd, "You guys suck."

"How dare you! I demand you take that back right now!" Boccos ordered as he shook in anger.

"I can't help it if that's the truth. But hey; if you got a problem with what I say, then do something about it," Tai motioned for them to bring it.

"Very well, foul-mouthed adolescent! I will school you on manners! Prepare to fall!" Adecor yelled as he charged and swung his sword.

As the blade came forward, Tai's right hand suddenly grabbed the knight's wrist. Yanking him forward, it caused him to lose his balance to drop his sword. Still having him by the wrist, Tai side-stepped during the yank and thrusted his left knee into the arm, near the elbow. Badly hurt but not broken, it caused Adecor to yell in pain, but be stopped short as he was unable to stop the incoming elbow to the face.

"Hey!" he heard the other knight say as he ran at them.

It was though in a blink of an eye Tai made a rapid movement that circled right behind the short one. Boccos stunned for only a second, it was long enough for him. A swift but effective forearm was brought on the head, causing him to drop his spear. Before he could react, Tai swung his right leg upward, causing Boccos to be knocked up into the air. And as the knight started to come down, the teen grabbed his bat and dropped into a baseball stance, readying the timing.

"Rrgggh!" a growl came out of him as he swung.

Like a home run, the bat connected with Boccos' body as he came down. It sent him flying like a ball, right into Adecor, who was dizzy from the two blows he had gotten. Smashing into each other, they went shrieking into the air and crashed right near the water fountain. Tai slowly dropped into his fighting stance and walked up the ramp, awaiting the knights' next move.

However, the sudden cheering of the crowd and compliments made him slowly ease up and put his bat back. He walked over to see that both Adecor and Boccos were completely knocked out, from the powerful attacks he did. Twitching and having swirls for eyes, their slight sighs of pain made Tai stare unimpressed.

_"Three hits...? You mean to tell me they went down with only three hits each?" _he thought, marveling at which was true; him being very strong, or the duo being really weak.

He sighed and said, pointing to them, "Being rude, jumping to conclusions, getting into my personal space, categorizing me as a criminal with no proof, and being defeated after three hits, when the majority was just my fists and feet... you two are the most pathetic excuses for knights I've ever seen."

"HALT, YOU!"

"Oh my freaking gosh, what now!?" he said out loud as he turned to see some other knight with a black mustache and orange and red clothing with armor run down the ramp and approach him.

"Halt! I am Captain Leblanc of the Schwann Brigade! Who do you think you are, attacking my men like that? There is a capital offense for fighting knights, which can end up with several years in prison and a fine of ten thousand gald!" he yelled in a bold and deep tone.

"Then you should tell your men to stop picking fights with random people. I'm minding my own business, and next thing I know, your lackeys started getting in my face and accusing me of being some sort of criminal," Tai said, getting a bit irritated.

"Hah! Highly doubtful. They can spot a criminal miles away. Whatever you've done, you're going to answer for it! Now surrender!" the ignorant knight ordered, pulling his sword.

It was like something snapped in his head as he couldn't stand these people and this city anymore. With a roar of anger, he raised his left arm and his glove glowed again. Immediately, screams and shouts of surprise and fear came as Leblanc and the crowd were forced back by the greenish-black energy creating a wall. Tai grunted and turned, sprinting down the ramp and running out of the city. He could hear the knights shouting for him to stop and some managing to chase after him, but with his speed, he managed to get out of the city. Running as fast as his legs could carry him, he was a tad... well... furious as he ran outside the city and began heading back to the path of Deidon Hold.

"You guys better not freaking leave me here..." he muttered through his gritted teeth.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Damn it

Tai: (grumpy face) _Oh, freaking damn great; this is wonderful. Not only do they just up and walk away leaving me there in a place I'm not comfortable or have no knowledge of,_ (furious face, gritting his teeth) _but now I'm labeled as a damn criminal because a pair of stupid, ignorant dumbbells just judge me on what I look like! Damn it; Damn it all to hell!_ (closes eyes) _Estelle..._ (head moves down, the shadows covers his eyes, his mouth covered by his hoodie) _Raven..._ (grumpy face, opens eyes) _You better have a good reason for leaving me behind._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Uh-oh, seems like ol' Raven and Lady Estelle seemed to have forgotten their promise and their comrade it was given to behind. Now all breaks loose and Tai loses his cool. What will he do IF he catches up to the group? Keep on reading and find out more.


	7. Not the greatest of first impressions

Killing the enemies with ease, the four-man (well, two males, one female, and one male dog) group made their way to the hold on a lovely walk. It was for Estelle so lovely, peaceful, and great to be able to walk near Yuri and Repede again and travel with them once more. She reminisced of the journey that started with coincidentally a trip to see Flynn and it ended up with a trip to every place in the world first stop blastia thieves, then about the Child of the Full Moon legacy and Alexei, then stopping Duke from his way against the Adephagos.

"I'm so happy!" she ended up cheering out loud, "This brings back such wonderful memories."

"Oh, right," Yuri said, smiling as they walked next to her, "It's just like when we both escaped out of the castle and hurried to see Flynn."

"Yes, and then we went towards Halure and ended up meeting Karol and Rita, and soon Patty, Raven, and Judith as well," she smiled, as the group started to travel towards the hold.

"Ahh, the tear-causin' memories of how I met you youngings," Raven said, making his voice to sound trembling as in to cry, "It warms my heart so to love those times we've had together."

"If I recall, not only did we meet in jail, old man, but you nearly screwed us back at Ragou's place in Capua Nor," Yuri rolled his eyes and said, not even looking at him, "Not to mention those times you whined about eating food you didn't like, the pervy things you've said, and the sheer stupid you... I've tried to get treatment to get those memories removed from my head."

"Yuri, that's not nice, even for Raven!" Estelle scolded him.

"Hah! At least, someone cares for the old man," Raven taunted in addition, "I guess it just takes a sweet lady to appreciate the greatness of ol' Raven."

"Yeah, yeah," Yuri waved it off and said, "Anyways, we need to get over to the hold. Flynn's gonna need our help cleaning up, so we should get over as soon as possible."

"Don't worry; we'll make sure we've cleanin' up as soon... as..." Raven began saying cheerfully, but suddenly he paled up with widened eyes.

"Raven? Are you okay?" Estelle asked, as the group looked at him.

"Oh drat! Estelle, we left Tai back in Zaphias!" he yelled to the princess, looking with a face filled with horror.

Gasping and feeling regretful for leaving the anti-social teenager behind in a place like this, she covered her mouth in remorse and said, "Oh, no! We need to go back and get him!"

"Don't bother... I'm right here."

The voice, which was filled with anger and fatigue, caused the group to turn behind them and see Tai, panting for air and bit injured a bit from visible monster attacks. After catching his breath, he looked up angrily up at the princess and old man and gritted his teeth.

"Estelle... Raven... I want answers," he said as he attempted to walk forward.

He walked right to the point of a metal sword that was suddenly held to his face and a sudden body stood in front of him. He looked to see Yuri holding his sword at him, keeping him away as he stood in front of Estelle and Raven. He also noticed that Repede had come behind him, and readied his blade in his teeth, slightly growling a bit and waiting for the signal to attack.

"Y-Yuri!" Estelle said, slightly taken back and worried as Raven blinked in shock.

"If you're smart, you won't take another step before I ask some questions," the man said with a serious look, "You make any movements before I ask my questions, and my partner and I won't be responsible to whatever happens to you. So, just calm down, first, alright?"

Four. This was the fourth person today to get in his face. He was not gonna let some pretty boy with long hair order him around. He closed his eyes and growled in frustration.

"Estelle, can you tell your boyfriend to get outta my face?" he said, in a bit of a demand.

It was then the biggest silence came as even the wind stayed still. But it was soon broken by Raven's hysterical laughter. The old man guffawed at what the teen said and literally struggled to breath as he fell on the ground and held his stomach, causing Tai to open his eyes and his rottenness to go away. The most baffeling look came across Yuri and Repede's faces as their eyes widened, totally not expecting such a thing to be said about the man. And poor Estelle's face turned red like a gel; she waved her hands at Tai as if to say 'wait'.

"B-Boyfriend?" Yuri was barely able to get out of his mouth as he managed to keep his sword in front of them.

"N-No, Tai! It's not like that!" Estelle said, waving her hands considerably fast.

"Oh, he's not your boyfriend?" Tai raised his eyebrow to her.

"No!" Estelle shouted a bit as Yuri looked down a bit and blinked a few times.

"Then how come he's so defensive of you when I talked to you angrily? I mean, I wouldn't attack you, but still; how he and his dog is so protective of you, it gives that 'dating' feel," the teen said.

"Estelle is a good friend of mine. We're not in a relationship, as much as you think," Yuri answered, recovering from the shock, "But she's a close friend of mine, and I don't take kindly to people just coming up to my friends and yelling at them."

"I didn't even yell... Estelle, can you please tell him and his dog to get off my back?" Tai groaned rolling his eyes, and then looked back to the princess.

With a silent yes, she walked over to Yuri's side, quickly healing the teen, and said, "Yuri, please. This young man was the one who helped me journey from Halure to Deidon Hold."

Turning his head to look at her, he replied with an instant, "Wait, HE helped you? I thought the old man was the one who brought you to the capital."

"Sorry, kid," Raven winked with a grin, barely able to say through gasps, "But that's where ya are mistaken. I only joined the two youngings from the hold. It was Tai here who helped Estelle make her travelin' outside of Halure to begin with."

"Ahh, well then, I guess I can back off for now, but I still want to ask some questions," the man said, turning his gaze back onto Tai, yet sheathing his sword.

Wow, this guy was a bit on the stubborn side, wasn't he? Even after Estelle told him to back off, he still was in his face about him. Watching the dog walk past him and sheath his own sword, soon standing by the long haired man, he put his hands in his pockets and watched Raven stand up, brushing himself off.

"What's your name?" Yuri asked.

"Tai Hurokido," the teen said, revealing his whole name.

"Where are you from?"

"Halure."

"What are you doing around with Estelle and Raven?"

"I thought Raven just told you," Tai folded his arms, grumbling from his hood.

"He may have explained why you three came to Zaphias, but that doesn't explain why you and Estelle left Halure in the first place," Yuri said, lowering his brow in a serious tone as if to intimidate him.

As the teen rolled his eyes, Estelle luckily stepped in, "I wanted to go visit Flynn for a nice chat. The mayor said I needed somebody to go with me, and thus Tai came along. However, Flynn had to go to Capua Nor and the rest is exactly how Raven explained it."

"Very well," Yuri said, still glaring at Tai, "but I am going to give you a warning. If you try to pull anything shady or sneaky while you're with us, I won't be responsible for what I'll do."

"...If this is your way of trying to intimidate me, you're doing a piss poor job," Tai glared right back and said straight-up, "I'm not scared of your little threat, all right?"

It caused Yuri to grit his teeth from behind his closed lips and become angry. This kid had one hell of a mouth and he wasn't backing down. He couldn't stand punks who would talk back no matter what, and he secretely worried that Tai would end up doing something bad to Estelle... and the old man maybe. Repede growled, bearing his teeth at the teenager after he said that to his owner. A slight glance given to him, Tai looked at Yuri again.

"And your dog can growl at me all you want; I'm not scared. If you're gonna attack me, then do so, but don't waste my time," he said.

"Hehe, might as well give up on intimidatin' Tai, ya two," Raven chuckled, suddenly lightening the mood, "He's not gonna be backin' down anytime soon."

Swearing a slight chance that there might have been a chuckle from him, Estelle walked in between the two, causing them to lighten up looking at her, and said, "Please, both of you stop it. I don't want us to fight; we're going to be traveling with each other."

"Yeah, she's right, ya know," the old man rubbed his head, "We can't have ya two and the pooch kickin' the crud out of each other."

"You're right," Yuri said, nodding as Repede calmed down too, "I lost my cool a bit. Sorry about getting a bit upset, Tai."

"No, it's all my fault," the teen replied, waving it off, "It's not you that made me upset. It's just the fact that you're the fourth time someone has gotten up into my face..."

"Huh? Fourth time?" Estelle perked her head up and looked at him.

"While all of you guys were talking, some bozo knights came up in my face, and starting accusing me of being a criminal," Tai explained, grunting a bit in frustration, "They said I was going to attack Estelle because I was apart of some claw that belong to a leviathan or something like that..."

All of them gave him different yet strange looks at this statement as Raven asked, "Really, now? What did these knights look like?"

"You want their description or MY version?" Tai said, glaring irritatedly at the old man, folding his arms.

"Might as well go with yours," Raven laughed, then put his hands on his head.

"One looked like a twig with bloated lips, and the other was fat and short like a baby," the teen grumbled.

"That would be Adecor and Boccos," Estelle said, realizing who he talked about.

"Tweedle A and Tweedle B..." Yuri sighed as he put a hand on his hip and shook his head, "Man, those guys are as dull as a pair of rocks."

"Yeah, they're retards," Tai scoffed at them.

"Tai!" Estelle said, shocked at the name he called them by, though even the guys were too and the boy just shrugged it off.

"So, what happened? How'd you get away?" Yuri asked, looking at him.

"I had no freaking choice! I had to fight them and sprint out of the city!" Tai exclaimed, causing the group to be worried for him, "Wonderful... now I'm gonna be labeled as a criminal over something I didn't do, all because some stupid dull knights jump to conclusions way too quickly."

"And if I know those tweedle-heads, they and their hard-headed captain are gonna be following you out of the city to arrest you," the city man said, looking at Raven for some reason, with the old man giving a shrug back.

"What, really? How do you know?" Tai asked, tilting his head.

"Let's just say... I know from personal experience and I've dealt with them before," Yuri said, turning around, as a question mark came above the teen's head, "Let's hurry over to Deidon Hold. We can decide what we'll do about this. Okay?"

"All right," Estelle said, nodding as she walked by his side before saying to the teenager, "And Tai, I'll explain why we're headed to Deidon Hold when we get there, okay? Don't worry; you'll get your answers."

With Tai's silent agreeing nod, Repede silently turned and walked by Yuri's other side, as the trio led the way. Although being safe with his companions, Tai felt like utter scum. Being labeled a criminal for a misunderstanding... this was not at all what he wanted. He looked down a bit in sadness, but soon felt a nudge from a nearby elbow. Raven had smiled at him, motioning with his head to walk beside him and hurry. Causing his smile to return and his attitude uplifted, the teen began moving and the five thus made their way to help Flynn at Deidon Hold.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Tai joined the party.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Not a great start...

Yuri: (looks to his left, uncaring face) _This Tai sure is a cranky guy who can be put in a crappy mood fast, isn't he?_

Estelle: (angry/perseverant face) _Yuri, you pointed your sword right in his face!_

Yuri: (head tilts to the right, upset face) _I was standing up for you! What, you want me to just let him be angry at you and possibly harm you?_

Raven: (head tilts to the right, eyes shorten, curious face) _Ya know, ya could've handled that a lot differently._ (Yuri then does neutral face, closes eyes) _I think ya could've talked him down instead of pullin' your sword out like that._

Repede: (looks to his left) (Whines)_ …_

Yuri: _Look, I acted that way because he acted like that. He was angry and looked hostile; can't help it if I perceived him as a threat._ (opens eyes) _I was doing what I felt was right. You can't deny I had good intentions._

Tai: (portrait pops up, neutral face) _That's easy to say when you're holding the sword._ (Everyone looks surprised)

Estelle: _Oh, Tai! You were listening?_

Tai:_ I just happened to catch a bit of what Yuri said. So, buddy, here's a tip;_ (grumpy face, Yuri tilts his head to his left, looks angry) _if you want me to calm down, waving your weapon in my face and giving me threats is not the way to do it. You might want to try something more peaceful next time. Just a tip._ (neutral face, portrait goes off screen)

Yuri:_ …_ (portrait goes off screen)

Raven: (looks to his upper left, tired/thinking face, Estelle looks down, sad face) _Whoa... totally right in what he said there. Not a great start._

Repede: (whines) _…_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Yikes... Not a great way for Tai and Yuri to meet, is it? And man, again, a escape from Zaphias as knights chase after our heroes. What will happen next? Can Yuri and Repede somehow get along with this anti-social kid? Will they get to the hold in time to assist Flynn? Please let me know how I'm doing and keep going. ^^


	8. Miscommunication? Unlikely

Walking towards the hold, the group managed to keep the monsters at bay without having to use artes and items. It was relatively peaceful, but Tai couldn't help but think about what those knights called him. He slowly looked at the group and soon spoke up.

"Yo, guys? Can I ask a question?" the group turned to him, yet still walking, "Adecor and Boccos accused me of being a part of something called Leviathan's Claw. What exactly is Leviathan's Claw?"

"Leviathan's Claw is a guild from Dhangrest that specializes in weapons and used to in Hoplon Blastia merchantry," Estelle explained as she looked back at him, "The imperial knights have had problems with them in the past."

"Not to mention we have to," Yuri not looking at him but saying as he kept walking, "We've fought them multiple times, even their boss."

"But then, why did those knights think I was a part of them? I don't specialize in any of those two things," Tai pondered aloud, curious.

Raven chuckled nervously a bit and said, "Well, the grunts of the guild usually wore hoods, just like you do, that covered their faces. They probably saw your clothin' and automatically thought that you could be one of 'em."

Tai gave him an 'are you serious' face before, face-palming with his right hand and saying irritatedly, "Oh, of course. Because I'm automatically a part of this guild because of what I wear! ...Those knights are freaking stupid."

"Don't worry about 'em, 'kay?" the old man said, smiling and patting his shoulder, "If they com' around, and try to give you trouble, count on ol' Raven to stop 'em. I can talk them down from arrestin' ya. They listen to me for some odd reason."

At first, Tai had no absolute idea how the knights would listen to someone like the old man, but then he remembered; Estelle explained that he used to be General Schwann, and since those three were from the Schwann Brigade, of course they'd listen to them. He didn't notice the rolling of eyes the city man and his dog were doing behind their backs, though.

"Okay, I'm trusting you, Raven," he nodded, as he looked to Estelle and asked, "Since we're near the hold, Estelle, why'd you leave me behind?"

"Once again, we apologize, Tai," Estelle said, stopping for a second to bow then walking again, "but we had a knight come tell us that there were monsters near the hold attacking. Flynn had sent him from his brigade to us to ask for our help in fighting the monsters."

"Ohhh, okay," Tai said, nodding and understanding, "That's perfectly okay with me. Just, make sure I'm near you when you go running off, okay?"

With a bit of a smirk saying that, it caused the princess to giggle, catching Yuri's attention. Did she really like this kid? Not in a relationship way, but... she really was starting to like the teen being around. Nevertheless, his thinking was cut short as they reached the hold. But the odd thing was that a ton of guards have tripled and security looked tight.

"What's going on? There weren't this many knights over in Deidon hold when we left," Estelle said, her face seeming worried.

"I wonder if the monsters on the other side are tougher than Flynn and the knights originally thought," Yuri said with a serious face as he approached the entrance.

"Excuse me, sir, but entry past here is forbidden for the time being," the knight guarding the door said, putting his hand out politely to say he wasn't allowed.

"Look, a friend of mine is on the other side of the hold," Yuri replied, "I'd like to get over to him, so I need to go into the hold."

"Once again, I apologize, sir, but I'm afraid it's become too risky," the knights still refused, "The situation has become out of control; the monsters are trying to get into the hold, and thus we have to seal it off before they try to harm any innocent people. It's not too dangerous, but we can't be too careful."

"What about me?" Raven asked, walking up beside Yuri, "I'm Raven, Commandant Flynn's second-hand man. If he's in trouble, he'd be wantin' me to help him."

"Oh, Captain Raven! I'm terribly sorry... but even Flynn said NO ONE was allowed. Please forgive me, sir, but even I can't allow you to pass," the knight said bowing.

"Yeah, who'd want you to come in, old man?" Yuri said, degrading Raven as he made a glare at him.

But to be surprised by who spoke up, he looked at Tai when he said, "Hey, come on; that's uncalled for. Raven might have his down points, but I'm sure he's a good captain."

"Yeah, Yuri, that's right," Raven grinned, obviously enjoying the young man being taken back.

As Yuri tried to collect himself from suddenly being doubled-teamed, Estelle walked forward and bowed to the knight, saying, "Thank you very much for letting us know. I hope you have a good day. Come on, guys."

With that, the princess turned around and walked away. With the four males looking at each other for a brief second, they soon followed her far where the knight couldn't see them. As they stopped, they huddled in a group and began to talk.

"Well, that could've gone out better than it did," Yuri said, looking back at the hold.

"I'm so worried for Flynn. He's called us to come help him fight monsters, and we can't get through the hold," Estelle said, fidgeting her fingers in nervousness.

"Don't you find that at all strange?" Tai said, looking down while holding his chin.

The group turned to him as Estelle blinked in confusion, "Strange?"

"Think about it," Tai said, making a grumpy face and folding his arms, "He sends one of his knights to tell you guys to come help him finish off the monsters, yet the knights at the hold say he's preventing access to getting through."

Catching onto his drift, Yuri nodded and looked at him, "Yeah, you're right. It doesn't make sense how he wants us to help him clean up the monsters, yet blocks off the quickest way to get there."

"Maybe a chance of miscommunication perhaps?" Raven offered, shrugging.

"I don't know. Flynn's not the kind of person to confuse orders with different knights," Yuri shook his head and answered.

"You don't think someone is plotting something, do you?" Estelle asked, hoping that was not the case.

"I can't say for sure right now, but that's not important," Yuri answered her, looking back at the hold, "But right now, we need to get past the hold."

"But how are we going to get in? The knights won't even let Raven in," Estelle reminded, causing all to think.

"We could try to sneak in, or bust our way through the hold," Yuri said, turning back to them, "The five of us are strong enough."

"No, Yuri!" Estelle pouted and disgustingly looked at him, "I don't want to commit any crimes, and those knights are there to stop monsters from getting through."

"Plus, I already had a run-in with the knights already. I wanna clear my name; not add more assault and breaking and entering charges on top of what I'm falsely accused of," Tai grumbled, lowered his head a bit.

"All right, all right; I can take a hint," Yuri said, smirking a bit as he motioned the two to calm down, "This means we're gonna have to take the long way around."

"You mean there's another way through besides Deidon Hold?" Tai asked, shocking Yuri at how unknowing the kid was around the area.

"Yup, if we head west, there's this place called Quoi Woods," Raven said, nodding with a smile, "All we do is go strollin' through a lovely set of woods, and we're at our destination."

"Well, then, we better start moving," Yuri looked towards the west, with Repede giving an agreeing bark and the group starting to move, "To Quoi Woods."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Worried

Tai: (head moves down, the shadows covers his eyes, his mouth covered by his hoodie) _Oh... man..._

Raven: (head tilts to the right, eyes shorten, curious face) _What's a matter, Tai? You're not lookin' like your usual cool-headed self._

Tai: (looks down to his lower right, sweatdrop, looks uncomfortable)_ I'm just really worried... I'm not proud of what went down back in Zaphias..._

Raven: _What even happened back there?_

Tai: _The knights got in my face, and I ended up losing my cool... I... hurt them and knocked them out._ (closes eyes)_ I got their captain's attention and was forced to use my glove to get away. I feel so awful..._

Raven: (head tilts to the right, smiling, closes eyes)_ Don't worry, Tai. I know what you're feelin' like._ (opens eyes) _Although you're not in the wrong, ya feel bad about what you did. It's not wrong to feel bad for bein' forced to stand up for yourself, but it can take a toll if standin' up for yourself goes against the knights._

Tai: (neutral face) _Yeah... Raven... I really am counting on you to help me. Please don't let me down._

Raven: _Don't ya go worryin' that cool head of yours. Ol' Raven's got your back, Tai._

Tai: (smiles) _Thank you so much..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Tai and Repede

Tai: (neutral face) _So, Yuri, was it? Is this your partner?_

Yuri: (neutral face) _Yeah, his name's Repede._

Repede: (barking upwards, neutral face) _Woof woof!_

Tai: _Oh, okay, cool._ (looks to his right, uncaring face)

Estelle: (looks surprised) _Huh, that's it? You don't wanna try to pet him?_

Tai:_ Why would I wanna do that?_

Repede: (looks to his left) _Arwoo?_

Raven: (head tilts to the right, eyes shorten, curious face) _Aw, come on, don't tell us ya really aren't gonna try._

Tai: (neutral face) _Why are all of you so interested in me petting Repede?_

Yuri: _He doesn't normally like it, but usually people who meet Repede try to pet him._ (head tilts to the left, curious face) _What, you're honestly not gonna try?_

Tai: (looks straight up, carefree face) _If he's not coming up to me and wanting to be petted, what's the point? Besides, I'm not interested._ (neutral face) _I'm gonna go over here and check the area out._ (portrait moves off screen)

Yuri: _Wow... Tai's the first person I've known who's never taken an interest in Repede._

Repede: _Woof woof!_ (neutral face, portrait follows Tai off screen)

Raven: (head tilts to the right, smiling, all look surprised) _Well, whaddya know? Seems the pooch has taken a likin' to Tai already._

Estelle: (looks down, sad) _Ah! That's so not fair!_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Yeah, you're gone!"

Yuri just finished dealing a fatal strike to a wolf as he finished doing his arte, Cerberus Strike. He ran to the next available enemy and kept swinging thanks to learning all kinds of combo skills. Repede fought alongside him, using his sword that he held in his mouth. It seemed to Tai that no matter where Yuri fought, the dog was right by his side. But unknown to him, Yuri and Repede both kept a close eye on his fighting style. Watching how he moved and fought, he was very talented on how he timed his strikes and the kind of weapon he used, but he wondered why the kid wasn't using artes. Despite his skills, he looked like he had artes handy.

It soon came towards the end of battle when Tai got an idea. After Raven had killed a fungus enemy and jumped back, he stood side by side to the teen. Being wise in battle, the old man looked towards the smirking teen's face.

"Raven, let me knock the last one into the air," Tai said, obviously hinting on a team attack.

"Right-o!" the old man grinned, readying a bow.

With a swoosh past him, Tai sheathed his bat onto his back and rushed at the wolf that was left remaining. Estelle had finished and thus stood by Raven to see what the two were doing. It was around that time Yuri and his partner were also charging, but once they saw the teen closer, they stopped, curious on what he was doing without his weapon.

"Hey! Tai!" Yuri called out, a bit worried and confused.

But his breath excited for it, the boy in a flash swung his right fist, smashing it right into the wolf's face. As it flinched from the pain, Tai did a 360 degree spin to launch his left foot into its neck to knock it into the air, and then again with his right to send it flying into the air. As it was lauched up, Tai just stood up, put his hands in his pockets, and walked back. It was because Raven carefully aimed and fired his piercing arrow at the fiend, killing it as it struck it and sent it flying away.

"HOORAH!" Raven cheered loudly with a grin as Tai walked over and high-fived with him, "Nice launchin' the wolf there for ol' Raven."

"Hey, you did awesome with that aim, Raven the Great," Tai smirked, "We're just that good."

"You performed marvelously!" Estelle cheered happily, congratulating them, "That was such an amazing double attack!"

"And you began it without your weapon," Yuri caught their attention by saying interestedly while walking back with Repede to the group, "That's a pretty fancy set of footwork you got there."

"Hey, thanks, man," Tai said, smiling as he was given a nod in return.

"But I wonder why you did that instead of just use an arte; you do have them, right?" Yuri asked, raising in eyebrow in curiosity.

The sudden realization of the three listening remembered the promise of not speaking a word about it. The old man and the princess pretended to look curious as well so that it didn't have suspicion all about it. Realizing he decided to tell the truth as little as he could, his shrugging and blank face spelled it all.

"I don't really like using artes that much," he said, "I prefer fighting with my own skills and not having to use special powers for my victories."

"Heh, no objections here," Yuri said, smiling, "I think it's kind of cool for you to not use artes, but I can't wait to see when you finally do."

To save Tai anymore hassle, a clearing of the throat came from a certain man as he said, "Com' on, we can have special sharin' time later. We need to go through Quoi woods."

"Right," Yuri said, turning and leading the group there, "Hang on, Flynn. We're coming."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

And another chapter is posted! Will the group get to Flynn in time? Is Repede rather fond of Tai? How will the other various character act to the newcomers? Find out next time!


	9. Rest and relaxation, before the charge

Reviews: Tales of Brothers: Hey!  
So sorry for only reviewing now, but weirdly my phone didn't really allow me to post anything ._.  
Concerning the fic, I think it's pretty cool. The frequent updates are a relief and I like the plot very much so far. I just hope it isn't going to be YuriXEstelle, 'cause I kinda dislike both the pairing and the girl.  
Apart from that, great job with Tai's character, he's quite interesting ;3  
Now I really hope they're gonna be in time to help dear Flynn...keep up the good work please! :)

To be honest, I'm not planning on Yuri and Estelle being together in this story, because one: If it didn't happen in the game, I don't do it. And two: not really a romantic writer. XP And thanks for the compliment on Tai: If you feel he should be changed or emphasized in a certain way, feel free to tell me. And now, back to the story.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The woods were very still and quiet, barely letting any sunlight inside the treetops. It was very dark and secluded... quiet... beautiful... a place for Tai's eyes to just take in the glory that was wonderful. This lonely quiet area of woods made him relax and unwind a bit in his posture. But he stayed close to the group. He was still unfamiliar with this place.

"Wow... this sure brings back memories, Estelle," Yuri said, catching his eye as the man smiled.

"Yes... we traveled through Quoi Woods to get to Halure, when we first ever visited there," the princess smiled and responded with delight.

"And where we met Karol for the first time. 'Prepare to die, eggbear!' Heh," Yuri said, imitating someone they knew, then chuckling as Estelle laughed with him.

"And I guess you and I are just gonna lay back here while they reminisce on 'glory days', old man," Tai smirked to the person he talked to.

Itching his head with a sighing giggle, Raven closed an eye and grinned at him, as they followed quietly behind. They kept listening to Yuri and Estelle go on about how they remembered so much about how they first met in Zaphias Castle, how they escaped the knights, how they ended up traveling here... wow, their journey was pretty adventurous, wasn't it? It was a few sentences that would make Tai give Raven a pair of glares of a neutral answer of 'Is that true?' But the old man would shrug, since he wasn't a part of them at that time, so the teen would just shrug it off.

Not a lot of time passed until they got to the middle of the woods. A tiny space, Tai added to his noting of his surroundings but a wide space for them to relax and take a quick break. Sadly, they had no food or water so it was just a rest stop. As they got to the middle, the group stopped and turned to the apparent leader of the group.

"All right, I guess for now we'll take a breather," Yuri said, deciding to sit down.

"Fine by me," Tai said shrugging, walking over away from the group and by the broken structure, sitting against it.

A bit taken back the sudden shrug of being social hater, he watched the teen rest a leg on the ground and his other leg rested his right arm. The left arm hidden in his pocket, the kid silently rested with his eyes closed.

"Well, I guess he's comfy..." Yuri said, sighing at the behavior as he sat down.

Slight giggling from her part, Estelle sat on her legs next to him and said, "That's Tai for you. Anyways, I'm so happy to be traveling again. As much as I enjoy my new home of Halure, it's such a joy to return to the world and be able to visit many places again."

"Oh, yeah, been meaning to ask you about how things have gone," Yuri said, as Repede laid down near him, and Raven sat across from the two, "It must be pretty peaceful to live there, but how have you been doing?"

"Oh, very good," Estelle said cheerfully, "I've lived in a small room in the mayor's house. He lets me stay for free, and I get to continue my passion."

"Oh, that's right. You started writing books, didn't you?" he said, smiling at her.

"Yes, I have already several out, and children love my stories," she said, looking passionately about it, "I've been sent letters saying that I should do more and even write a story about our travels."

"Wait, really? About us?" Yuri blinked in a bit of shock, feeling a bit honored yet embarrassed.

"Really? You can tell people about Raven the Great and his dashin' good looks!" the old man said excited as he posed mighty and courageous (although he was still sitting), "If ya can, I'd like ya to say I'm tons muscular and I get the beautiful lady in the end, preferably Judith darlin'."

Seeing his absolute goofy self get so wrapped up into looking manly, Tai's face was forced into a smirk-turned-grin and started to laugh quietly. He shook his head at the old man and closed his eyes. Just the thought of Raven getting huge muscles just was funny to him. As he opened his eyes to look back, that dog was staring at him again. The grin faded into a feeling-stalked face, as the teen raised an eyebrow. But Repede kept looking at him, as if wanting of him to come over. Tai kept his gaze off him and pulled his hood over his eyes a bit more, causing the dog to not know if he's looking back, but that didn't erase the feeling of being watched for Tai.

"Um... I don't know, Raven," Estelle looked down, a bit uneasy on the wacked-out demands the old man had.

"This is supposed to be a story about what really happened; not fictional fairy tales that you create, old man," Yuri sighed in annoyance.

"Hey, a man can dream, can't he? Besides," Raven said, folding his arms and making a hilarious glare with his lips sticking out, "at least I know more about female psychology than you do."

"That may be so, but I'd rather not have me in a story with your perverted fantasies," Yuri said, smirking at his face, "Besides, all you do is whine and dream. You want yourself in the story? That's what you'll be portrayed as."

"Oh, come on. Learn to take a joke, Yuri," he was surprised to hear Tai say, as the group turned to look at him, "He's just kidding around with you guys. Besides, I bet he has some good parts."

Twice. Twice Tai has sort of scolded Yuri for teasing Raven. The man blinked in curiousity as the teen finished talking.

Raven grinned proudly and heroically as Estelle nodded, "Yes, he did help us through the Weasand of Cados, gave us information on guilds that Karol didn't know, and much more," and then upon looking at the teen, said worriedly, "Are you okay over there by youself?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just chilling," Tai nodded and relaxed, closing his eyes.

"You know, you don't have to be so anti-social. You can hang around us; we don't bite or anything, not even Repede," Yuri said, trying to get him to come over.

"Nah, I'm good," Tai waved with his right hand and went back to relaxing.

Snorting a bit in disappointment and a frown, Yuri muttered quietly, "Gee, Tai, moody much?"

"Yuri..." Estelle scolded, but was awarded with no attention.

"Well, then," Raven said, grinning and getting up, drawing all their attention, "If you're not gonna com' to us, ol' Raven's gonna com' to ya."

It caused Tai to smile and look at him, as he sat down next to him and the two loudly had a conversation together. It made the city man, his dog, and the princess sit in silence just watching them for several moments. Yuri shook his head and looked back at her.

"Okay, what is up with that? How come Tai acts like being around people burns, yet is so friendly near Raven?" he asked her.

"I haven't figured Tai out myself, Yuri," Estelle said, giving him an equally confused face, "He's very... choosing of who talks to or who he likes."

"But he defended the old man twice, Estelle," Yuri frustratedly smirked a bit at her, "The OLD MAN. He seriously likes Raven over us? I've got more dignity than he does," and then when a whine came out of Repede, he pet him and continued, "Yeah, and Repede says he pays more attention to the old man than him. We feel offended, you know?"

_"Well... you and Repede are not exactly the friendliest and nicest when it comes to people and you're kind of shady yourselves, Yuri..."_ Estelle thought in her head, as if the the truth was slapping them in the face yet they didn't know, but then said, "I guess Raven is just really outgoing and sometimes people just click together. Ever since they met in Deidon Hold, they've been incredible friends."

The man looked back to see Raven and Tai just talking and laughing together, without a care about anyone around them. It seemed the old man was telling stories to the teen, causing him to laugh at a few parts. Estelle still found it awkward, but she was happy for Raven that he finally found someone who he could talk to as they traveled and not get talked down to all the time.

"Well... whatever," Yuri gave up on him for now, "We'll rest for a few more minutes. Then, we need to get over to Flynn."

"Right, but I hope we're not too late," Estelle said, fidgeting with her fingers nervously a bit.

"Don't worry; Flynn's tough. He'll be fine," Yuri said, nodding to her, then looking away seriously to think, _"Flynn, you better not make me a liar; don't get yourself killed before we even get there."_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Just like you

Estelle: (neutral face, closes eyes) _Hehehe..._

Yuri: (neutral face) _What's so funny, Estelle?_

Estelle: (opens eyes) _Oh, Yuri. It's just that now that I think about it, I think Tai is just like you._

Yuri: (shoulders perk up, raises an eyebrow, surprised face) _What makes you think Tai and I are alike?_

Estelle: _Well, think about it. You both are collected and calm most of the time, you both worry about the well-beings of people around you, you both have clever comebacks when someone says something rude,_ (Yuri leans his head to his left, incredulous face, closes eyes) _and you guys have... well... attitude._

Yuri: (opens eyes) _Estelle, I'd rather not be compared to somebody else, okay? Just let me be me._

Estelle: (smiles, her head turning to her left) _Hehehe..._

Yuri: (neutral face) _What is it now?_

Estelle: _That's just something I can picture Tai saying._

Yuri: (head tilts to the right, upset face, closes eyes) _And she's not listening..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Rejected

Tai: (grumpy face, Repede's portrait is constantly getting closer to him and his portrait moves away) _Hey, Yuri. Can you tell Repede to stop following me?_ (both portraits stop)

Yuri: (neutral face) _He's just interested in you and wanting some attention. What's wrong with that?_

Tai: _I don't want him near me._ (Repede moves closer) _H-Hey, you! Back off!_ (moves away)

Repede: (barking upward, looks to the left) _Woof! Woof woof woof!_

Estelle: (looks surprised, Yuri's head tilts to the left, curious face) _Huh? Tai, are you afraid of dogs?_

Tai:_ Don't be foolish. I just don't like it when somebody gets up in my face._ (Repede moves closer, furious face, gritting his teeth, moves away) _Repede, I said quit it!_ (grumpy face)

Raven: (portrait comes in from the side, neutral face) _Hey, Tai! Glad I caught ya._ (Tai does neutral face) _I needed yer help on somethin'._ (head tilts to the right, smiling) _Care to lend this old man a hand?_

Tai: (smiles) _Sure thing, Raven._ (Their portraits go off-screen to the left).

Repede: (head tilts to the left, angry face) _Grrrr... WOOF WOOF!_ (portrait goes off-screen after them)

Yuri: (shoulders perk up, raises an eyebrow, surprised face) _Whoa... Tai IS the first person who Repede wants attention from. After being rejected like that, he's REALLY gonna try to get Tai to like him._

Estelle: (looks down, sad)_ I wish he'd take an interest in me..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

After a rest and social talking (even for our newcomer), the groups started to make their way towards the other side of the Quoi Woods. As they got closer to where they would exit the woods, they noticed a lack of... enemies. There were barely any monsters on this side of this place and soon they saw why.

"! Get into cover," Yuri said, literally yanking Estelle and Tai by the back of their clothing into some bushes, where Raven and Repede joined them.

As both teens tried to regain their senses after hitting the ground hard, they sat up and peeked through the bushes with the others to see that there were about five knights guarding the exit. Three had their backs turned, while two of them guarded the sides and paid attention to the pathway.

"Damn it, they have this area guarded, too?" Yuri asked quietly.

"The situation that Flynn is dealing with must be worse than we originally thought," Estelle added.

"Not to mention this further proves that this can't be just a simple miscommunication," Tai added on top of that as the group huddled together behind the bushes.

"I'm startin' to think this was plotted against Flynn," Raven said seriously as he looked back at the enemies.

"So who do you think are the ones going against Flynn? The ones blocking off the paths to him, or the one who told us what was going on in Zaphias?" Estelle asked, looking at Yuri for the probable answer.

"That knight said Flynn had it under control. If he really did, he wouldn't be blocking off the Quoi Woods and Deidon Hold," Yuri said, looking at her, "It must mean it's really bad."

"And if he's done that, I betcha he's blocked off the paths to Ehmead Hill and Aspio too," Raven added, making Yuri nod in agreement.

"Aspio? ! Rita!" Estelle said, gasping, having Yuri cover her mouth just in time to prevent her giving them away.

"Keep it down, Estelle," he warned, but agreeing, "But I do understand. Our genius mage might be spunky, but there's no way she could handle those monsters with the knights."

"I hope everyone in Halure is okay..." Tai looked down saying, causing Estelle to be even more afriad.

"Oh, no..." she only could mutter.

"If it's this bad, we can't waste anymore time. We need to get to Flynn," Yuri said courageously.

"But how are we gonna get past the guards? They're sure to stop us if we even get in their sights," Tai asked.

A silent answer was given to where Yuri looked at Repede and soon the two slowly crept to the guards through the covered trees and bushes. The three watched how the man slowly signaled for Repede to charge. Once he did, the dog jumped out of the leaves and took the two guards by surprise, slashing them and knocking them out cold. This caused the three others to turn around and see Repede growling at them.

"Wh-what the... a dog!?" one of them said, surprised like heck.

Suddenly, Yuri rushed to them and raised his sword and sending a blue energy wave at them.

"Azure Edge!"

It hit all three in a row, causing them to fall unconscious and Yuri to wave for the others to come. The three walked over: Raven not being impressed, Tai in shock, and Estelle... NOT HAPPY.

"Yuri! You can't just attack knights like that!" she scolded, stomping her foot down.

"Hey, we needed to get to Flynn, and we couldn't risk running for it and getting caught," Yuri said, shrugging it off.

As the princess fumed a bit poutingly, Raven folded his arms and said, "Still, it would've been a lot better for a heads up if you're gonna be doin' something reckless like that."

"I haven't done anything reckless, since the day I was born," Yuri said, smiling and closing his eyes.

"...Yeeeaaaah, Yuri? I think you have the definitions of the words 'reckless' and 'courageous' mixed up," Tai said, incredulous on what he just seriously said.

"Besides, those knights were put there for a reason, Yuri," Raven added on top of that, "That's to stop any monster from comin' in this way and possibly goin' to the other side to attack people. Ya just eliminated the people responsible for keepin' this guarded."

"Calm down, we didn't hit them HARD; they'll wake up in a bit," Yuri said, as he and Repede turned and started to run into the clearing, "Come on, let's hurry to Flynn."

"Ohhh, Yuri!" Estelle called out after him as she ran too.

"Haven't done anythin' reckless, since the day ya were born, huh?" Raven shook his head and followed.

Tai slowly looked at the guards, then at the people who we was traveling with leave him behind. With a sigh and determined look, he ran behind them, until who knows what problem awaited them.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

So, how is this chapter? Is it good? And what evil awaits the heroes on the other side? Keep reading to find out more!


	10. Boss Battle: Orochiberus

"Wh... What is this...?"

"Dude..."

"*whine*..."

"Oh my gosh..."

"Holy..."

The group was in disbelief at the chaos that they were forced to look upon. The whole fields near Halure was completely stained with blood, fallen or wounded soldiers, and the corpses of all but one monster. The wind blowing was a chilly omen to how bloodthirsty this was.

"Freaking damn... this is a massacre!" Tai said, out loud and a bit terrified from the blood.

"What in the world happened here?" Yuri said, wide-eyed about the terror he saw.

"This doesn't seem like a simple cleanin' up to me," Raven said, looking around the field and at the massive monster he just saw, "And I'm guessin' that beast is responsible for this."

The group looked at the huge monster in question. The was a dripping, wet black monster that was on four legs. It had two heads: one being a lion's head, and the second being a group of cobra snakes. Its tail was shaped like a dagger, and its hind legs were in a shape of a zig zag pattern, like a lightning streak. Its claws and fangs were all stained red in blood, but it was different colors as well, meaning this monster also took the liberty of killing the other monsters.

"Wh... what is that thing...?" Estelle shuddered in fear.

"That THING killed not only soldiers, but monsters alike?" Tai said, breathing a bit fearfully.

Even Repede lowered his ears a bit and growled nervously. His head was leaning towards his blade, just in case he needed to immediately. Yuri noticed this and looked back at that monster, on how ferocious it was as it roared angrily.

"Damn... even Repede is afraid of this thing..." he muttered out loud, "And I've never seen a kind of monster like that."

"L-Lemme try a Magic Lense," Raven said, his voice trembling for a second and then pulling it out to examine the beast.

The group crowded all around him to see that the monster's details soon were visible for them to see.

"Orochiberus?" Estelle asked to no one.

"Whoa... this monster's got one heck of a health and strength number, and it's resistant to all magic types," Yuri said, gritting his teeth.

As they kept looking at the description, Tai looked back at it. It was then doing a double-take, he blinked and pointed towards the area.

"Hey, isn't that the Flynn character we met at Deidon Hold?" he asked unsure of his assumption.

Everyone soon widened their eyes at the horror of his question and glared onto the fields in front of the monster. Sure enough, there was the Commandant, holding his left rib, but still standing strong with minor injuries. The group gasped and rushed over, leaving the teen behind. Sort of expecting this, he sighed and then run after them.

Flynn was panting and gritting his teeth at the fiend as it snarled a bit at him. Gripping his sword tightly and holding his imperial shield, he breathed heavily as a bit of blood streaked into his left eye, causing him to close it with a flinch. He suddenly heard something that made his heard pound faster.

"Flynn!" Estelle's voice rang out loud and clear to him.

Turning his head to see the group running over, he got a bit furious at them as he yelled, "NO! What are you doing here!?"

"We're bringin' in the calvary, Commandant," Raven said, pulling his Divine Cannon bow out.

"I thought I sent a message for you to stay clear from here!" he shouted, calming down a bit.

"What, and leave you here by yourself to fight this creepy thing?" Yuri said, as he unsheathed his blade, the Claiomh Solais and Repede his Murakumo dagger.

Estelle took out her Hero's Sword and readied her shield, healing the commandant as Flynn said tiredly, "This monster has already killed the majority of my men, and the rest have been stretched to protect the pathways to places where innocent people are."

"Flynn, if this monster did all of this to your men and the monsters, odds are that those knights barricading the paths aren't going to stand a chance," Yuri said as he gripped his sword tightly and Tai just got over to the group.

"What? You mean we gotta fight that thing?" the teen said, barely out of gasping air.

"We've got no choice. It's either we kill it, or it kills us and everyone it can find," Yuri said getting into his stance.

"I'll fight too; it's for the honor of my men who've died here today. I won't let their sacrifice be in vain!" Flynn roared and readied.

With a sigh and the shadows covering his face, he remained silent for a bit. His fists clenched a bit and Estelle knew it. She turned back worried, so sad that they constantly dragged him into situation after situation. She slowly shifted her way back to him.

"Tai... I-"

"It was supposed to be just a simple visit to see Flynn... and now I gotta fight this demon from hell..." he muttered under his hood.

She felt said and horrible for him, until he slowly reached for his bat and dropping into his stance, saying with a blank yet positive face, "Oh well, life happens. Let's kill this thing."

She smiled as the group readied themselves, for the beast roared his battle threat and advanced towards the group!

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Flynn joined the party.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Orochiberus raised its front paw and began to stomp onto the ground. It caused the group to struggle to stay on their feet and back up. Yuri bravely charged at it with Repede by his side and slashed at the monster's feet. Slicing it near the ankles, the two kept targeting the feet. Roaring at the pain, the monster stood onto its hind legs, causing the duo to realize they needed to move. Coming down, Orochiberus nearly squashed the both of them if they hadn't rolled underneath the beast.

"Yuri! Repede!" Estelle called out in fear as she began to ready a spell.

Yuri grunted as he struggled to his feet from his roll. Looking up quickly, he noticed the tail menacingly come underneath its body and towards them. With Repede noticing, the man brought his sword forward as it came at him. Both smashed into each other, causing the clashing of metal to be heard.

As the two fought underneath it, Raven aimed and shot an arrow at it swiftly.

"Rain!"

The arrow ended up clipping the lion head's head, causing a scar on the top of it to be made. It slowly growled and turned his gaze at the archer. A huge sweatdrop came down his head as he nervously giggled a bit. Seeing the snakes breath in, they soon sent a huge tornado-style attack at him. Raven quickly sprinted a bit to the left, having to dive onto the ground in order to dodge it. As he skidded, Tai took a deep breath.

"Oh my freaking..." he muttered as he rushed at it head-on.

Seeing his comrade charge at it, Raven (still skidding) pulled more arrows out and fired them towards the monster before it could notice him. The arrows striking it in the face again, Tai decided since he didn't want to risk his artes seen, he would do this the hard way. He jumped up as high as he could and struck it several times. Getting about eight successful hits in, he noticed he really set the monster's attention to him. The lion's head snarled as fire started to appear in its mouth. Tai landed and as it spit the fire out, Tai did an interesting series of dodging. He cartwheeled to the right with only one hand, then backwards with a back-flip that didn't required him to use his hands. Yuri and Flynn, only for a second, noticed this and managed to start some offense.

The commandant quickly charged up a spell and used it quickly, as Estelle kept charging and Raven had stood up and fired more arrows.

"O divine spear, run my enemy through! Holy Lance!"

The same attack Tai saw Estelle do, Flynn had summoned several spears of light that smashed into Orochiberus. But since the commandant wasn't aware of its resistance, the beast was injured, but not hurt as much as intended.

"What? Fine, then, I'll come to it!" he said as he rushed at the monster and helped Tai with offense, able to slash at its ankles from the front while the teen handled the heads.

Meanwhile, Yuri and Repede had been successful for the most part on stopping the tail from killing them. A few slash marks on Yuri's face and arms and Repede's body, but they were all right. Quickly jumping a bit, Repede growled as he used Demon Dog. Hitting the tail, it caused Yuri to get an opening and use several slashes in succession. He used a combination of Cerberus Strike, Dragon Swarm, Lone Wolf Charge, and then finished with Tiger Blade. As he finished, the tail was cut off and fell from the monster's body and the fight. Orochiberus roared in pain as for a brief second, it flailed in frustration. It twirled itself in a 360 degree motion, causing Yuri and Repede to be smashed with its humungous body and sent flying out from underneath him. Both landed hard far away from the fight, heavily injured. They struggled to even move.

"Yuri!" Flynn said as he just blocked the massive attempt with his shield.

"Hold on, you two! I'll heal you!" Estelle said, charging up a healing spell.

But before she even had time to react, the snakes had done another tornado attack right at her. Seeing it come too late, it rammed into Estelle, causing her to be spun multiple times around up into the air. A scream came from her as she landed hard on the ground.

"ESTELLE!" Yuri and Flynn yelled worried for her.

Raven quickly ran to her aid and covered her as she slowly stood up. Taking three arrows out, he quickly fired them up into the air.

"Who loves ya, baby?" he said quickly.

The arrows soon followed over to the injured fighters. Quickly hitting the three, they were immediately healed of any injuries. Yuri and Repede stood up immediately and began to make their way over to the fight.

Meanwhile, Flynn and Tai kept battling the monster nonstop. Orochiberus actually stooped its heads towards the two as if to bite them. Both swiftly dodged, but the snakes had gone after Tai and the lion after the commandant. It managed to somehow catch Flynn's shield in its teeth as it tried to bite at him. He grunted in surprise as he was flung up into the air for holding onto his shield tightly.

Everyone stared in horror as Yuri screamed, "FLYNN!"

The blond-haired knight gritted his teeth as the lion opened its jaws wide to crush him. Quickly, he hid his body in a ball form behind his shield, causing him to be knocked back instead of flying. Seeing he was going to land hard, Raven thus ran towards the area Flynn smashed hard into the ground. Letting a yell of pain, the commandant gasped in shock upon looking up to see the giant foot coming down near him. Suddenly, the old man appeared like a blur and shot several arrows at the foot. They sunk deep into the flesh, causing Orochiberus to roar in pain. In frustration, it swung the stump from where its tail used to be. Raven flinched as he braced for impact. Quickly thinking, Flynn got in front of him, using his shield to protect the two. Despite them not getting horribly injured, the monster smashing into them was very impactful, causing the two to yell a bit and go rolling on the ground.

Estelle gasped, "Flynn!" and quickly used First Aid on both of them.

"Raven!" Tai called in worry, but soon tuned back into the fight.

The monster had heard the teen's voice, and slowly turned its full attention at him. A soft growl came from it as Tai widened his eyes at the horror that came to him.

"...Oh... sh-"

Suddenly, the snakes all lashed out at him. Doing the best he could, he deflected the minority of the heads from biting him, but he had to roll a bit to the side. As Yuri and Repede got relatively close, the monster roared as the snakes all raised their heads in the air and shrieked. Catching everyone by surprise, a huge whirlwind was made around Tai, forcing the teen up into the air and cutting him several times. Grunting and shielding himself the best he could, the teen winced in pain, right before a huge smashing blow from the monster caused him to smash so hard into the ground stomach first, he bounced. Closing his eyes in pain, Tai was helpless as Orochiberus turned around and then used its hind legs to kick him. This massive blow sent Tai flying EXTREMELY far away from the fight.

"TAI!" Estelle shrieked in fear, forgetting there was a battle going and started to run after the teen before he even landed.

"Estelle! We need you!" Yuri shouted to her, slashing at the monster's ankles and causing it to roar and turn around.

"But Tai! He's going to need medical attention!" she pleaded back.

"Urgh... let me take care of him!" Raven said, thus rushing off to Tai, "You stay here and give them healin' when they need it!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As the boy started to descend towards the ground, Tai gasped and braced for impact. The huge thud of his body smashed into the ground, causing him to gasp in severe pain. He had landed on his shoulders and head and then proceeded to roll and skid across the ground. A strangled yell came out of him as he stopped and his head landed on the ground. Grunting in pain, the boy felt severe pain on his head, his stomach, his neck and shoulders, and his leg.

He twitched a few times as he groaned consistently, trying to get to his knees at least. Using his arms to keep him up, his teeth visible clenched together. He was bleeding, but he could see Raven running to him.

"Hold on, Tai! I'm comin'!" he yelled to him.

Soon there in a matter of seconds, he crouched down and helped him sit up, so Tai could eat the two apple gels he had. He could tell the teen was visible injured by the various rips in his clothing and the stains of red in parts of his clothing.

"Dang it, you're pretty badly banged up," he said.

"R-Raven... I need you... to stand me up," Tai struggled to say.

"Ya kiddin'? Your right leg's totaled; ya sure ya wanna be standin'?" Raven questioned, worriedly.

"Those guys can't see my glove..." Tai grunted, Raven then getting the vibe, "I can use my artes... without them seeing..."

"All right, but once you're done, you're sittin' back down," Raven said.

He lifted Tai's right arm over his neck, and very gently lifted him to his feet. Grunting from the pain of his leg and body, Tai shook a bit but slowly lifted his glove and it began to glow.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Just releasing her Holy Rain spell in the beast, Estelle backed up and used an orange gel given to her by Yuri. The group was tired and although the attacks were minor, the monster was too. Repede finished his Hell Hound arte and landed next to Yuri with a whimper. Flynn panted a bit as he wiped sweat from his face and stood by Yuri's side.

"Damn it... what's it going to take to finish that thing!?" Yuri yelled in frustration.

"This beast is so tough... nothing seems to be working," Flynn agreed.

"But we can't give up!" Estelle said, readying another spell, "So many people are counting on us!"

"Woof woof!" Repede barked, signaling their attention to Orochiberus.

"Get ready! Here it comes!" Yuri gave a heads-up to everybody.

But just as it was charging, a dark substance suddenly swallowed its legs and trapped it. It was a dark black and green liquid. Suddenly, it became solid and trapped the monster right where it stood.

"What the? What is that stuff?" Yuri asked, astounded as Repede tilted his head in awe.

"I've never seen it before..." Flynn answered.

Estelle gasped and suddenly knew who it was. Turning her head briefly to look, she could see Tai from a long way being assisted by Raven to stand up as he grunted. The teen growled a bit as he then took his opened glove-covered hand and closed it into a fist.

"Shadow Burial!"

The energy soon collapsed on the monster's feet, completely severing them and destroying its legs. Orochiberus let out a shriek of pain as it was forced to collapse on its stomach.

"Whoa!" Yuri said aloud as the group was astounded by the sudden help and damage done.

Tai slowly grinned and lowered his arm as it stopped glowing, being put down by Raven as he said, "Haha... There we go.."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**_ Great!_**

**_ Secret Mission 1: Tai used an arte without Yuri, Flynn, and Repede seeing him do it._**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Well, whatever that stuff is, I'm taking the advantage!" Flynn said as he activated his over limit, "Yuri! Let's do it!"

"Right! I'll blow you away!" Yuri yelled as he activate over limit.

Both ran at the injured Orochiberus and went on both side of it. Soon, each dug their sword into the ground and a white circle pattern was formed beneath it. It caused several huge amounts of damage to be done to it. Quickly pulling their swords out, they slashed it right through the middle and both jumped into the air. With Yuri on the right and Flynn on the left, both jumped into the air and readied their swords.

"Twin God Wave!"

After shouting the mystic arte name, both swung their swords and out came two huge white beams of light the spiraled together, soon forming a huge singular beam at Orochiberus. Once it touched, the monster was killed on impact, soon evaporating from how much power was put into it. Finally, the battle was over. As the duo landed, all were thankful they defeated that thing.

"That bastard was tough..." Yuri said, sheathing his blade.

"But that was no ordinary monster," Flynn said, "Where on earth did that come from?"

"Tai!" they both heard the princess yell, and turned to see her running towards the two far away.

As the four began to run to them, Tai coughed and soon fell to the ground. Raven quickly rolled him onto his back.

"Tai! Com' on, don't fade on ol' Raven!" the old man said, but it was inevitable; Tai soon was unconscious.

"Hold on, I can heal him!" Estelle said, gasping for air as she then soon did First Aid on him.

"With all due respect and urgency, it's gonna take more than a healin' spell to help him after what he just took," Raven said to her.

"And I know we're not in the best of shape either, but... damn; no one deserves that kind of hit," Yuri said, flinching at the injuries Tai has.

With Repede lowering his ears a bit, Flynn ordered, "We need to get him to a place where he can recover! Now!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Tai, Estelle, and Repede left the party.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

How's that? My very first boss battle fight scene. I really would love some criticism. Too short/long? Not enough action/ good/ too much? Lemme know. And let's hope Tai recovers!


	11. After the beast died

It was so quiet and hazy. Peaceful, yet uncomfortable. But he could feel nothing but grogginess. Slowly, he squirmed a bit and felt a soft surface. His eyes slowly opening up, he groaned his waking noise. The feeling of a warm light fell upon his body. It was sunny... signaling a brand new day.

"Huh? My room...?"

Tai slowly looked around and realized that he was indeed in his bedroom; the one that was guaranteed to him by the innkeeper. He looked out of the window and saw the tree of Halure beautifully dropping its petals onto its inhabitants as if they were blessings. Turning his face to look on the inside, he saw his palish pink and green room with all of his stuff in it.

"! The fight!" he said urgently.

Immediately trying to sit up was pointless. It caused his body to throb in pain. Flinching with a wince, he rebehaved and decided to take it slow. It was then looking at his body, all his injured body parts were patched up and wrapped in white medical tape. He still wore his glove, but the rest of his clothing was off and gone, leaving him to wear his plain white t-shirt (that still had blood stains on it and covered his glove like the hoodie did) and black athletic shorts. The accessories and the headphones rested in a little pile on a chair near the bed. But despite him being in an area that he was familiar with, he was confused on how he got there.

_"Wasn't I just fighting that Orochi-whatever monster with the others? By the way, where did they go? Did they leave me behind?"_ he thought to himself.

It was then he suddenly noticed a certain blue dog curled up near the door of his room, sleeping. A bit shocked yet baffled on why Repede was sleeping in his room, he eliminated the stupid thought of 'he's my dog' and continued to wake up by rubbing his head and yawning. The yawn was loud enough to cause Repede's ears to twitch in response. Soon, the dog had awoken, yawning and stretching. But it soon looked at the teenager and realized he had awaken.

Soon, Repede was right at the bedside, sitting down and staring at him. Tai raised an eyebrow and pondered the very curiosity the dog had for him. Why was this dog so interested in him and more of, how did he get into his room? He tilted his head, only for Repede to do the exact thing. It was very awkward, having this experience. But Tai managed to speak.

"Um... morning, Repede," he said.

The dog responded and slowly walked a bit to the bed. Standing on his hind legs, Repede leaned his head very close to Tai's right leg, which was very tender and wrapped up the most. The teen scooted a bit away uncomfortably from him and got a bit squirmy.

"Wh-What is it?" he asked.

He then understood what Repede's motive was; his nose was pointing to the injured leg, and thus was asking if he was okay. Once he realized this, he nodded.

"I'm a little sore, Repede, but I'm gonna be fine, okay?" he informed him.

Suddenly, Repede looked really energetic and quickly hurried to the door. Opening it by standing on his hinds legs and using his mouth to open the door, he soon barked a few times to the outside. Sooner before Tai could even figure out what he was doing, Estelle happened to come upstairs and into his room with the rest of his clothing with him.

"Oh, Tai!" she said happily putting his clothes down, then running to him and hugging him, "It's so wonderful to see that you're okay!"

Taken back with extreme 'freaked out' feelings, if you will, Tai shivered in shock and unease as he nervously smiled, "U-Um, great to see you too, Estelle... can you stop hugging me now?"

"Oh, right, sorry!" Estelle said, letting go while Repede gave her a incredulous look.

But as she stood back, she actually took the time to look at Tai's face. Because he hid himself under his hoodie and headphones, the facial details of Tai wasn't really known to her, but now they were clear. His orange hair was longer than she expected. The front actually was very spiky, and it stuck out a bit and leaned towards the right. He had tiny sideburns/bangs near his ears that went against his face and the back of his hair just spiked out. His hairstyle was much bigger without his hoodie scrunching it. And his eyes were a deep, yet bold blue color. He looked rather handsome for a teenager his age.

After studying him for a bit and not to make him feel awkward, she then spoke, "I was so worried about you, Tai. You were really hurt in that battle yesterday."

"Yesterday? You mean I passed out last afternoon, through the night, and into another day?" he asked, blinking in shock.

"Yes. We immediately brought you here into your room and along with myself, some doctors from Halure treated your wounds. You're going to be okay; just sore for a bit," the princess responded with a nod.

"I see... what happened while I was out?" he asked, rubbing his head again.

"Well... we all treated every injured person the best we could, and we had to ask more guards from Zaphias to help us clean up the battlefield of all the fallen soldiers," Estelle said gravely sad, "But luckily no body from any nearby towns got hurt. It's still sad; all those knights who gave their life to fight that thing."

"Yeah... it's tragic," Tai said, and looking down with a depressed face, thought, _"It must be a hell of a punch to Flynn's pride; the majority of his brigade wiped out by that monster, and it finally is destroyed when only the FIVE of us come... I hope he's taking if well."_

"But cheer up!" Estelle said, happily getting his attention and making him smile, "They're going to honor every soldier and give as much support to the families. And we're okay!"

"Yeah, that is good," Tai said, as he then became a bit curious, "So, um... what were you doing with my clothes?"

"Oh, that," Estelle giggled, "You see, when that monster kicked you and you hit the ground, not only did the blood of your wounds stain your clothes, but you also ripped and tore them in a few places. But fear not; thanks to my sowing and washing skills, your clothes are all good as new!"

"Really? Thanks, Estelle," Tai said, smiling as he slowly moved a bit to the bed's edge, "I appreciate it. Those are my favorite clothing; it'd be a shame if they had to go if those tears and stains were in it."

"And also it allows me see your face for the first time, too," Estelle laughed a bit, causing the teen to chuckle himself.

"Well, don't get used to it," he warned her with a smile, "I barely have my hood off my head, even when I sleep. So, take a good look now. Probably won't see this hair for a long time."

The princess came over to the bed and started to reach for his shirt, "But you need to at least let me wash that shirt. It still has the blood from yesterday."

"! W-Wait, don't!" Tai kind of snapped in surprise as Estelle was taken back in the same manner and he hugged himself, but held onto the left sleeve near his glove in particular.

"What is it? Is there something wrong?" she asked innocently.

Tai looked as if he was struggling to find a good reason in order for her not to take his shirt off. He noticed Repede seemed to be looking at his right hand, which was holding the left shirt sleeve down. The boy soon smiled a bit cheeky.

"I'm... kinda... well, sensitive about showing my body to others... and it's not polite to strip in front of the princess of Zaphias," he chuckled a bit.

Blushing immediately, Estelle put a hand over her mouth and replied, "O-Oh, my... you're right! I'm terribly sorry! I'll let you get changed and do your laundry in privacy. Come on, Repede; let's give Tai some space."

With a soft bark, the dog followed her towards the door. But before they left, they turned around to a question being asked.

"Hey, Estelle, before you go, I wanna ask something," Tai said, slowly making his way to the edge of the bed finally, "Where'd Raven and those guys go? Did they leave us here in Halure and go about taking care of those blastia thieves or something?"

"Oh, not at all," Estelle said, "They actually told me and Repede to stay here and make sure you're okay. They said they'll be back, as they were heading for the Quoi Woods."

Tilting his head, he made a scrunched-up face as he questioned, "Why on earth did they go back there?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"It's because of something Tai said that I wanna check this place out again," Yuri said, as he and the other two men walked side by side along the main path in the woods.

"All right, then. What exactly is it?" Flynn asked.

"Well, I first am gonna ask a question; you said before the fight we had with that monster, you sent one of your knights to us, correct? What was the message he needed to give and what route did he go to come tell us?" Yuri asked, looking at his friend.

"I told the knight to go send a message to Raven and tell him to not come back. It was way too dangerous and I couldn't risk Estelle or Tai getting hurt. I sent the messenger through these woods, because at the time, Deidon Hold was where the monster was and we were trying to get it away from getting through."

"Huh? Hold on a sec," Raven said, looking puzzled, "But the knight that cam' to us back at the capital said you had asked us to com' help you 'clean out the rest of the monsters'."

"Exactly," Yuri said, sounding like he put the pieces of the mystery together, "But when we went to Deidon Hold to pass, the knights there said that it was too dangerous, even refusing Raven entrance."

Raven tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, asking, "So, what exactly are ya getting at, Yuri?"

The dark-haired man stopped and turned to the two, explaining, "I'm getting at the fact that because of these factors, I think Tai was onto something when he said this wasn't just a simple miscommunication. It all adds up to one thing."

Both men widened their eyes as Flynn asked in realization, "Wait... Yuri, you don't possibly mean...?"

"Yes, I do," Yuri said gravely, "Somewhere between you sending the messenger out to us and when that knight gave us a different message at Zaphias, I think someone may have taken your guy out and impersonated him."

"So, that means we're here in the woods to look for my missing messenger, just in case that is true," Flynn said.

"It's either your soldier... or the corpse of the soldier," Yuri said darkly, although that could possibly ended up being the truth.

As the three men started to walk down the path, the eyes began to search as if it were a cross-finding puzzle book. It was difficult, searching through all the trees to find where exactly the possible horror could be. However, it wasn't at least four minutes before the old man spotted something.

"Hey, I think I found him!" he called out, as the two younger males watched and soon followed him as he ran through the trees.

As the three approached, they saw the knight still alive but tired and banged up against a tree. He was in his clothes still, but the whole armor and Flynn Brigade uniform was gone. The man had auburn hair and a beard that covered his whole face. He laid there with a tent set up near there.

"! Soldier!" Flynn called in worry, concerned for one of his own.

The man opened his eyes and looked at Flynn, "S-sir... Did... did you win?"

"With many losses, sadly, but we defeated the beast," Flynn said, bending down to him, "Don't move, I'll heal you."

With a quick First Aid, the man was healed and stood back on his feet.

"Thank you, captain. I owe my life to you," he said, with Flynn nodding back.

"So, are you the messenger Flynn sent to Raven?" Yuri asked, getting straight to the point.

"Yes, I am," the man said, bowing in respect, "My orders were to tell Captain Raven to keep the princess and teenager away for their own safety."

"So, mind tellin' us how ya ended up beaten up in the woods?" Raven asked, folding his arms.

The man looked down in humiliation, "I was on my way towards the capital when some man came out of nowhere and attacked me. At first, I told him kindly to please move, but he wouldn't budge. He kept standing there smirking. It was when I threatened him he could be arrested, that I found myself being defeated. He dragged me here, stripped me of my armor and uniform, and left me without even saying a word."

"You and Tai were right, old man," Yuri said, looking at the two, "This wasn't a miscommunication; someone plotted for this to happen."

"If he dragged ya and left ya here, why is there a tent?" the old man pointed towards it set up.

"Well... you know how tents give off that scent that keeps monsters away?" the soldier said, "Well, the man just set it up next to me, put on my stuff, and then started heading to Zaphias."

"The hell? What kind of guy picks a fight with a knight, steals his armor, but leaves him in the safety of monster-repellent tents?" Yuri asked, weirded out by how this suspect acted.

"Must've thought the soldier would die by himself and thus let him feel safe in his final moments," Raven deduced as he rubbed his chin.

"I'm sorry, Commandant Flynn... I failed you, sir... I..." the man said, ashamed.

"You were ambushed by someone that I never would've expected coming, my good man," Flynn said, holding his shoulder, "You fought hard and deserve a good rest. Go back to the capital and get more treatment. You've made me proud."

The soldier nodded with a sudden smile and burst of confidence as the group began to part with him. But before they got far, Yuri turned to the soldier.

"Hey! One more thing," he said to him, as the man turned, "Did you happen to get a look at the guy who jumped you? What did he look like?"

"Oh, yes! Right! The man was a burly guy about my height, with black hair that had a ponytail and one thin bang on his face. He was wearing a black cloak when he came to me, so I don't know how much help his clothes will be," the man said.

"Okay, thanks!" Yuri said, as after the man soon was out of their sight, he turned to them and said, "Well, it seems we got a culprit."

"Indeed, but before we do anything else, we need to get back to Halure to see how the others are doing," Flynn said, with the other two agreeing as they ventured out of the woods.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Well, Tai is recovered now and the group manage to save the messenger went mission. But now they know it wasn't a simple miscommunication. What does this mean for the group? How will they come to do? Find out next!


	12. Conspiracies at breakfast

Finally, putting his newly washed white shirt back into the drawer, Tai was fully dressed in his normal clothes again. They felt great, as clothes do feel good when you get into clean ones on a brand new day. Pulling his hood over once adjusting his headphones, he soon began making his slow way out the door. He wasn't limping or crippled, but the pain from the soreness he was having made this complicated. Wincing a bit, he slowly made his painful and eternity-seeming way down the stairs and to the door. Waving good-bye to Mrs. Singh and her husband, he exited the inn.

Coming outside, the petals dropped in front of his face and caused him to smile. It was great being back in Halure, the peaceful wind blowing by. Making his way down, he slowly began climbing the hill towards the tree. As he made his way up, he didn't notice that Repede, who had been resting outside the inn, saw him and stood up. He then followed the sore teen up the hill, only to watch him go the tree and rest against it.

Tai always felt comfort underneath Halure's tree. He loved the beauty it had always given to people, and how it was a big barrier in the past. He missed how the people could rely on this beautiful plant of nature, instead of risking themselves to be hurt from having to band together. He closed his eyes and relaxed onto the tree.

"Ahhh... so peaceful..." he said quietly.

Repede managed to get on top of the hill and stand to see Tai just spacing out quietly and resting. He looked so happy; just being able to be alone and appreciate the tree. It made him even more curious into the teenager, as he quietly walked over. The teen happened to open his eyes and see the dog coming towards him. Feeling a bit uncomfortable again on why he kept getting close, he slowly moved a bit.

"Repede?" he simply said.

Soon, the dog silently laid down next to him and rested his head. He closed his good eye and remained silent. Tai figured it out; Repede was doing exactly what he had been doing. Making him smile a bit, the boy soon smirked and bit and rested back against the three, letting the petals and the breeze entertain them with their cooling gentleness. It was at least a half-an-hour before a certain male came walking up the hill.

"Tai?" the teen heard Yuri's voice.

Repede lifted his head and looked at Yuri, giving him a silent answer of what they were doing. The man came over to then, and placed a hand on his hip as he looked at them.

"Seems you're up and about," he said.

"Yeah, but sore as hell," Tai groaned a bit, his eyes remaining closed.

Slowly bending down, Yuri ended up sitting on Tai's other side and rested his arms in his lap. He looked over to the teen, who was so content with himself, and sighed.

"Hey, Tai?"

"Hmm?"

"Look, I want to apologize for how I acted yesterday to you," he said, rubbing his neck and slightly blushing from embarrassment, "I get the fact you were into a lot of stress, and I didn't really help by getting in your face."

"Well..." Tai said, blushing too and looking away, "I wasn't really a big help either, losing my temper about what happened and threatening you. So, I'm equally sorry."

"It's just... I... We all were worried about you after that Orochiberus monster punted you across the plains," Yuri said, shrugging, "According to Raven, you were totaled and messed up when he got to you."

"Oh, yeah, I remember..." Tai chuckled in pain, his body sore from the huge landing he took.

"You know, you could've used an arte to prevent yourself from being caught like that. I mean, sure you don't like using them, but don't you think you wouldn't be hurt like this?" Yuri offered a thought for him to consider.

Tai looked down in silence. He didn't want to use artes, because he didn't trust people outside of Halure to understand and not take advantage of him. Sure, he trusted Raven and Estelle, and that may have been true, but...

"Well, hey, at least you're alive, and also, thanks for taking care of Estelle," Yuri said, standing up and looking down on him.

"Sure, no problem," Tai said, looking up at him.

"Come on," Yuri said, smiling as Repede stood up and the man went to grab Tai's hand, "Estelle made breakfast and she'll get pouty if we wait."

Before the teen could react, he took a strong grip on the left hand that Tai wore his glove on. But he suddenly felt odd as his hand felt him and helped the teen stand up. He let go and gave Tai an neutral face.

"Tai... that glove of yours," he began to say.

"Like it? I made it myself," Tai said as he soon didn't like the suspicious twinkle in Yuri's eyes.

"Really... because that glove felt like normal skin to me," the man said.

Fear crept up the teen's spine as he felt naked to the two. Repede staring at him along with Yuri's look that expected an answer, he felt very nervous, trying to think of words to say. But just then, the old man happened to be a blessing in disguise as he ran up to the hill and came at them.

"H-Huh? Raven?" Tai asked, as Yuri turned around to see him.

"What is it, ol- H-Hey!" he said off guard, as the old man had grabbed both Yuri's left arm and Tai's right.

"I will not stand and wait anymore for your squabblin'! Estelle won't let me eat unless everyone is at the table! We are havin' breakfast now!" he yelled in righteous fury as he yanked the two, forcing them to follow his running.

"Hey! Raven, let go of me!" Yuri yelled, nearly stumbling down the path.

"Whoa, slow down! You're gonna make us fall!" Tai shouted, as Repede ran behind the pathetic three-man crowd and to the mayor's house.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Ahhhhh... nothin' makes an old man happy like a good old fashioned breakfast," Raven said as he shoved several bacon stripes into his mouth.

The group were all sitting at the table near the door of the mayor's main entrance room. It was a perfect breakfast; bacon, eggs, pancakes, sausage, hashbrowns, muffins, and your good old orange juice and milk. Yuri, Estelle, and Flynn sat on the left side, while Raven and Tai sat to the right. Repede sat near the table, eating some bacon and sausage made for him.

The old man was just helping himself to eating as much as he possibly could. Despite the commandant and princess both staring at him in awe of his manner of eating, Yuri closed his eyes with annoyance at the old man's rude manners and he tried to eat his meal. But taking another look at the disgusting pig's side of the table, he noticed Tai grinning in amusement at Raven like he himself would do when he goated Estelle or Karol in the past. It seemed this teen really did like Raven, after all.

"Well, I'm glad I made a perfect breakfast for you, Raven, and to the rest of you," Estelle said, smiling a bit as she sipped some juice.

"The food is delicious, Estelle," Flynn said smiling as he nodded to her, "You did a great job on cooking all of this for us."

"I would be enjoying my breakfast more if the old man hadn't dragged me and Tai down the hill and let go of us when he got near the house," Yuri said, a bit upset, "Man, who knew falling down a hill and into some prickle bushes would be so painful. Remind me to pay you back the next time we train, Raven."

Repede groaned in agreement, then went back to scarfing a strip of bacon down.

"You've been bitten, sliced open, had magic spells casted at ya, and worse during our past travels, Yuri," Raven said, making a hilarious face with his lips sticking out, "I think ya can take fallin' down a hill without complainin'."

With Tai closing his eyes and chuckling a bit, he drank some milk and began to eat his plate of sausage and eggs.

"And it's good to see that you're okay as well, Tai," Flynn said, pouring maple syrup on his pancakes and catching the teen's attention, "I must say, I was afraid you wouldn't make it after what happened."

"Yeah, gotta say, you got us freaked out back there, by how far you were flying," Yuri looked at him, "I can't even begin to imagine how painful that had to be," with Repede whining a bit.

"I was so worried, Tai," Estelle said, finishing some hashbrowns and then eating a muffin nicely, "You were bleeding so badly. And you wouldn't wake up. I thought you were really gone."

"Well, I like to shove it in fate's face that I will not be dying until I say so," Tai said, joking about the critical condition he was in as he dug his fork into the plate for food.

"Tai, that's not really funny..." Estelle said, worried about him.

"Oh, come on, Estelle, Tai's just kiddin' around," Raven said, grinning cheerfully.

"I'm just joking, Estelle," Tai said, giving her a glare that said 'lighten up', "I'm gonna be fine, but let's just say I'd appreciate not being on the front lines of any battle for a while if we do fight again."

"Well, before we go thinking of fighting anyone, we need to discuss what we've learned so far," Flynn said, eating his pancakes politely, "About what's happened to the messenger and all of this. It's a bit hard on me."

"Flynn, you did what you could," Yuri said, closing his eyes, "Don't get caught up in the 'what-ifs' of the past. Focus on the present to make sure those things don't happen again."

"I know... but a lot of those men and women were good friends of mine," Flynn said, sighing, "It's a shame they had to meet an end."

"We'll make whoever or whatever did this pay, Flynn," Yuri said, looking at his friend, "I promise."

"So, before Raven gloriously declared how he loves breakfast," Tai said, grinning a bit at the old man again as he ate happily and then looked back with a serious face, "You left off at finding the man, and then what?"

"Ahh, yes," Flynn said, nodding apologetically, "After we found him, we healed him and sent him his way, and he gave a description of the man who jumped him."

"Jumped him? Then Tai and Raven were right," Estelle said in astounding awe.

"Apparently, our guy beat the soldier up, stole his armor, and impersonated himself as him to us telling us a bogus message," Yuri explained, finishing the eggs off his plate, "Which gives me a bit of a bad feeling about this."

"Yeah, you're tellin' me," Raven said, smirking as he wiped his mouth with his arm sleeve, "So, it seems you're gettin' at the thought I'm havin'?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Estelle asked, as the others tuned into the idea forming.

"We're thinking this man who beat up the messenger may be connected with this monster," Yuri said, starting to grab some more pancakes, "It all seems to make sense. How this monster just shows up and starts to wipe out the Flynn Brigade. In order to make sure the monster stays there, Flynn blocks off access for extreme measures for safety."

"Then, this unknown guy just comes and gives us a phony message, to send us, especially our princess, into harm's way," Raven said, drinking juice, "We're guessin' that whoever this guy is, he has a beef with the imperial knights and might just be wantin' to get some revenge on them, maybe even takin' out one of their dearest nobles."

"The classic overthrow of power for crazy people," Yuri said, shrugging, "Too bad this plan of his failed... somewhat."

"No... I think it's much bigger," Tai said, finishing his plate.

"Hm? Then what do you think it could be?" Yuri said, giving a curious face.

"What if the monster and this unknown man were related to the blastia thieves?" Tai proposed.

Suddenly, all their faces were "enlightened" as they all looked at each other and back at him. That... was a very interesting idea.

"What? How is that even possible?" Estelle said, fearful of what he said in a way.

"Flynn, you said you were put in charge of stopping these blastia thieves, right? What were your plans after Yuri and the knights you intended to get were with you?" the teen asked the commandant.

"I was planning on crossing to the next continent to go to Dhangrest and work together with the Don to stop them," Flynn answered.

"So, you were gonna be making plans to go with a massive brigade over there, pretty much ready for a fight. Then, Orochiberus comes out of nowhere; a monster who was so strong, it nearly wiped your whole army out," Tai said, slowly making the gears of everyone's head catch his drift.

"Yeah... Tai's got a good angle. It'd seem pretty foolish of a commandant to just go chargin' off with a tiny number of soldiers after gettin' destroyed immediately," Raven nodded, looking down as if to think.

"So, where does the unknown man fit in?" Flynn asked.

"You said that you blocked off access from anyone to enter, so that you could contain this monster kill it," Tai continued, "Now, think of how you went to the Don to get Raven to come help, and how you went to get Yuri and Repede's help. What do you the three of them have in common?"

"The old man and me or Repede having something in common? Come on, don't insult us," Yuri said, smirking at Raven as his partner gave a bark in agreement.

"Hey!" Raven pouted, then turned to Tai, "All right, ya got us. What is it we have?"

"The fact that you guys were a part of the group that defeated the Adephagos," all realized as the teen started to continue.

Raven nodded and agreed, "Yeah, don't ya think that a group of thieves would be concerned of the world's heroes just showed up at their doorsteps, demandin' they stop and com' to justice?"

"And so..." Yuri started to put the puzzle together, "the man gave us a false message to send us to where the monster was..."

"...So that we would be killed by it," Estelle said, looking down.

"That settles it, then," Flynn said, as he stood up from the table, "This wasn't a simple coincidence; it had to be the thieves. And they must pay for these horrible crimes."

"But we can't just go charging in blindly. If this is true, and that monster was a part of their plan, then that means..." Yuri said, his voice fading out.

"What? You don't think they created that monster, do you?" Estelle asked, worriedly.

"There's no way that could've been a natural monster, Estelle. Somebody had to make that, and if it's the thieves, we need to be careful that we don't charge into another one of those monsters again," the man explained to her as everyone started to stand and clean their places.

"Then, we better prepare for the worst," Flynn said, looking back, "and we might need more help."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The plot thickens even more! The blastia thieves possibly behind this!? Oh, the humanity! And what's with Tai's glove? If it feels like normal skin, what on earth could this kid be hiding? Find out more, next time!


	13. Meeting new faces and the rush to Aspio

The group all finished cleaning up, they ended up standing in front of the mayor's house outside and all stood together. Stocking up on items and food supplies, and with their weapons, everyone decided to check with what was going to happen next.

"So, then, what's everyone going to do now?" Yuri asked, just to be sure.

"Well, the first step on my travels now before the port city is Aspio," Flynn said.

"Aspio? What's that?" Tai asked, tilting his head.

"It's one of the neighboring cities of Halure. To the mountains near here, the city is located inside of it. It's where scholars and researchers tend to live. And I'm thinking of recruiting somebody from there to help us," Flynn explained, with him and Yuri a bit baffled on how the teen was unfamiliar with the area around his home city.

Despite being taken back, Yuri turned to his friend and asked, "Speaking of recruiting, where's your right hand people, Sodia and Applehead?"

"There's somebody who is named Applehead?" Tai asked with a disgusted looking face.

"Yuri! Just because Witcher's hair looks like an apple and its stem doesn't mean you should call him by such names!" Estelle scolded, Tai even more taken back by how that wasn't a better name.

"Yeah, yeah..." Yuri dismissively waved it off and looked at Flynn, "Well?"

"Sodia is back in Zaphias, training soldiers to help be protective for city and town safeties, and Witcher is currently occupied with investigating the Shaikos Ruins with other mages," Flynn said, "Now, the reason I want us to go to Aspio is so we can recruit a mage to help us, just in case we come across technology and devices we don't know how to use."

Suddenly, Estelle perked up with a smile as she said the mage's name, "Rita! You're going to see her?"

"Yes, I'm sure she'll be there and hopefully willing to help us," Flynn said.

"Well, since ol' Raven is at the mercy of the commandant, that means he's headin' over with him," the old man smiled and held his head with his hands, smiling.

"And I guess we are too," Yuri said, meaning him and Repede, "But now, that leaves just one question," then turning to the teenagers, "What are you two going to do?"

There was a bit of silence from the two, but it wasn't long before Estelle finally spoke up, holding her hands tightly with determination.

"I'm coming too!" she said steadfastly, "I feel that if these thieves were trying to target us for who we are, I want to warn the others. Besides, I can meet Rita again."

"All right, Estelle, you're in," Yuri said, smiling.

But the princess dropped her into a posture of concern as she turned to Tai and said, "But... I don't wanna drag Tai into going with us."

"Well, we were only partners for just going to see Flynn, but..." Tai said, actually indecisive on what he should do next.

"Ahh, hello, everyone," they heard the mayor say as he came down the hill and joined the group, "How are you all doing today?"

"Great, thank you," Estelle said, bowing in respect, "We're about to head out and journey outside of Halure."

"Oh? Does that mean you're going to be gone for a while, Lady Estelle?" the man asked.

"Yes. Thank you for all you've done for me, sir," Estelle said, thanking him, "I won't be long; I promise I'll come back and live here."

"Ahh, we'll miss you while you are away, but I do hope you take care of yourself," he said, then looking to Tai, "And how about you, Tai? Are you going to go with all of them?"

"I don't know... I..." Tai said, rubbing his head inside of his hood.

"Please don't feel like I'm forcing you, Tai. Now that Estelle is back safe and sound, you're no longer required to go where she goes, but I always thought you wanted to get out of here, right?" the old man smiled at him.

"Huh? Sir?" Tai asked, looking surprised.

"Oh, come now, you can't decieve these eyes; it's been clear that you've wanted to venture outside of Halure for a while now. The question was 'when'. I won't stop you, no matter what decision you make," the mayor said.

"Yeah, com' on, why not travel with us? I enjoy your time with us, Tai," Raven said, grinning.

"Your battling skills would really come in great assistance and greatly appreciated," Flynn encouraged.

"Besides, who else is going to stand up for the old man when we tease him?" Yuri said, smiling as he shrugged and Repede barked.

The teen looked at all of the new people he met and then closed his eyes. True, he's always wanted to get outside of Halure, but with people he's barely met... the decision swirled around inside of him as time was ticking away, demanding an answer. He sighed and then put his hands in his pockets, slightly groaning and fidgeting in place.

"Nggggh... ahhh... oh, screw it; I'll go," Tai said, walking to the exit of the town with his eyes closed.

"Yay! I'm so joyful you can still travel with us, Tai!" Estelle cheered, causing the teen blush a bit and smirk.

"Yippee! I still got my talkin' buddy!" Raven jokingly joined in, as he hurried next to Tai, and with the princess, began making their way down the hill and out of the city.

"Well, I guess this is good-bye," Yuri said, turning to the mayor, "Thank you again for everything."

"It's not a problem one bit, but if I may, just please never give up hope on Tai and give him encouragement," the man said, "He may act tough and seem cold at times, but he's very loyal and trustworthy. You can count on him to help."

"Thank you for your words, sir," Flynn said, as the group them said good-bye to them, and all made their way out of Halure to Aspio.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Tai, Estelle, and Repede joined the party.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Continuing together

Estelle: (neutral face, closes eyes) _Hehehe..._

Tai: (neutral face) _What's up, Estelle?_

Estelle: (opens eyes) _Oh, it's just I'm so happy that you're stilling traveling with us._

Tai: _Oh, really?_

Estelle: _Yes, and you've changed. When we first started, you wouldn't even talk to me about anything or even smile at me. Now, you're doing both those things. You've changed only in the first day, Tai._

Tai: (Looks up into the upper right, a slight blush on his face) _Oh, huh... Well, glad that I changed for your liking, Estelle._

Estelle: _Hehehe. I know that you'll love continuing the journey ahead, Tai. Just you wait and see._

Tai: (neutral face, smiles) _Yeah. I will._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Hypocritical warnings

Estelle: (neutral face)_ I'm so glad that I can travel with both you and Yuri again, Flynn._

Repede: (barking upward, neutral face) _Woof woof!_

Flynn: (smiles) _Thank you, Lady Estelle. It's a privilege to be able to travel with my friends again. And I also want to thank you for helping me yesterday fight that monster._

Yuri: (neutral face)_ Hey, it's no problem. But I'm still a bit upset at you, Flynn._

Repede: (head looks to the left) _Awroo?_

Flynn: (head tilts to his left, incredulous face, Estelle looks surprised) _Huh? Why's that, Yuri?_

Yuri: (head tilts to the right, upset face) _What the hell were you thinking taking on that monster by yourself? Flynn, you could've gotten killed._

Flynn: (serious face)_ Yuri, I couldn't just run and let that monster kill innocent people. I had to do what I could to stop it._

Yuri: _Hmph. Well, whatever. Just don't do anything reckless like that again, okay?_ (portrait moves offscreen)

Flynn: (very big smile, closes eyes) _Hehe. Yuri, you're the last person to tell someone not to be reckless._

Estelle: _Hehehe._

Repede: (barking upward) _Woof!_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Spar attempt - Part 1

Raven: (neutral face) _Hey, Tai, just wonderin' if your body is okay and runnin' properly._

Tai: (neutral face) _Yeah, for now, I'm gonna be fine. But my body is still sore._

Yuri: (neutral face) _Hey, I got an idea. Why not spar with me?_ (head perks up, confident face) _I'll help you retrain yourself and see how strong you are._

Repede: (head tilts to the right) _Woof woof!_

Tai: (looks to his right, uncaring face) _Yeah, I don't think so._

Repede: (looks to his left) _Awroo?_

Flynn: (head tilts to the left, incredulous/curious face, Yuri tilts head to the right, raises an eyebrow) _Oh, really? Why not? I'd love to see what you'd do in one-on-one training._

Tai: (neutral face, closes eyes) _Yeah, sorry. But I train by myself. Always have._

Raven: _Ahh, right._ (head tilts to the right, smiling) _Ya said that ya trained all yer life by yourself in Halure._

Tai: _Yup, and that's how it's gonna stay. However, I appreciate the offer, Yuri._ (portrait goes off-screen)

Flynn: (neutral face) _That's a shame. I'd love to see you fight him, Yuri._

Yuri: (head perks up, confident face) _Hah, don't you worry. I'll get him to spar against me soon. Just you wait._

Repede: (barking upward) _Woof woof!_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The group soon got about halfway to Aspio before they could finally see the mountains in which the city was in. It was fairly easy for the group to get there, as all the able makes fought of monsters as Estelle stayed back with Tai to care for him. Despite the old man complaining about how he was tired after one battle and couldn't stand much more, they made their way through a few monsters before running into somebody new.

As the group got closer towards their destination, they noticed a teenage male fighting off monsters by himself. He was using a pair of metal circles with spikes on the outsides with handles in the middle. These weapons were called Chakrams and it was red with a silver design. The boy was finishing off a wildebeest type monster impressively as the group made their way over to him, just in case.

"Now, you're mine! Flame Tornado!" the kid yelled.

Suddenly, a gust of flames and fire swirled at the wildebeest and trapped it inside of the fiery tornado. It did massive damage to the monster, and only in a matter of seconds did it fatally collapse as the tornado then faded. The kid grinned victoriously and sheathed his chakrams behind his back.

"Yeah, that's right! You got no chance against me!" he cheered cockily.

Suddenly, the boy looked and turned to the group who came towards him. As they got closer, they examined the boy a lot closer. He was a young male, about younger than Tai was. His black hair was spiking out evenly around his head like a dome, but he had very curvy bangs near the metal forehead protector of his red headband that was tied around his forehead. With bright red eyes, he wore a bright yellow tanktop that had a white furry collar that was very big and stuck out around the neck. The tanktop had very unique black symbols all around it that looked like different weapons. The blue gloves he wore went from his biceps to his hands, stopping before they covered the fingers, and had three simple white lines on them with metal studs on the knuckles. His shorts were red and had blue belts wrapped around the legs. His legs covered from the knee down in athletic tape, he wore yellow sneakers with black outlining and red streaks at the heals.

"Hiya!" he said loudly and very friendly.

"Hello, nice to meet you," Estelle said, smiling to him.

"Hey, kid, that was some attack ya pulled there," Raven complimented, smiling as the kid grinned in pride.

"Haha! Thanks! I worked so hard to make that move work!" the kid laughed, finally intoducing himself, "And I'm no kid! The name's Akihiro!"

After the brief introductions, Flynn looked at him with a bit of a smile that was interested, "So, Akihiro, what are you doing outside here? Are you just fighting monsters for the sake of getting stronger?"

"Haha! You know it!" Akihiro said, grinning proudly as he clutched his right hand into a determined fist, "It's my dream to be the strongest fighter in the world, so I can become the Duce of Nordipolica! That way, people can look to me as an idol; somebody important that they can count on."

"Well, then, you better keep up the good work, then," Yuri said, smiling as the amazing strength and confidence he could sense the kid had.

"But to be honest, the reason I came to train today wasn't for my dream; it's because I was frustrated," Akihiro came out truthfully.

"Oh? Why were you frustrated?" Estelle wondered.

"It's because this guy earlier this morning came by this same way heading to Aspio. All I said was good morning and how he was doing today, and he pushed me out of his way and gave me a rotten smirk!" the boy said, folding his arms with a sudden grumpy look, "Can you believe that?"

"I'm very sorry to hear that, Akihiro," Flynn apologized in sympathy to him.

Suddenly a thought came up in Yuri's mind. A man giving a smirk. He heard somebody specifically describe a certain man doing that before. He lifted his head up to the teenager and thus decided to test his hypothesis.

"Hey, Akio," he said to him.

"Huh? My name's not Akio! It's Akihiro!" the teen snapped at him to correct his name.

"Right, sorry," Yuri apologized (not really) and then continued, "Can you tell us what this man looked like?"

"Hrrrm, uhh... Let's remember," Akihiro closed his eyes and thought, "He wore this black cloak, so I don't know what clothes he wore, but he was really big of a guy, and he had long black hair with a tiny bit of it hanging in front of his face."

"I knew it. That's exactly the same description the messenger said the man who attacked him looked like," Yuri said to the group, causing them to realize that this unknown guy was still around.

"Huh? Does that mean you know the jerkbag?" Akihiro said angrily with a bit of a hilarious rage face, "Because I wanna slug him for being such a... a jerkbag!"

"Wait... you said the guy came through here to Aspio?" Tai asked, tilting his head a bit.

"Yeah, he was heading that way. Why?" the boy said, changing his mood very quickly to the question asked.

"Wait, if Tai's idea about the blastia thieves is true, and the unknown man is wantin' to try and bump us off..." Raven said, suddenly the group understanding with pale faces the possible and horrible fate to come.

"Oh no! Rita!" Estelle said scared for her friend.

"We need to move it to Aspio! Now!" Yuri yelled as the group rushed by the poor teenager, leaving him behind confused and abandoned.

"Hey! Don't leave me behind! Come on! Let me help too, guys!" Akihiro yelled after them, running right behind them as they hurried to rescue the mage.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Mage in peril

Estelle: (looks down, sad) _Oh, no... Rita. I'm so worried about her._

Tai: (neutral face) _Seems to me this Rita girl and Estelle are very close._

Flynn: (neutral face) _Oh, yes, the two are incredibly close friends. Rita is a mage from Aspio who is amazingly intelligent with blastia, aer, and magic. She helped us back when we defeated the Adephagos and other times as well._

Yuri: (head moves forward a bit, determined look) _And she's going to be in trouble if we don't step on it and make it there. She's one of our own, and we won't let this guy touch her._

Raven: (neutral face) _So, don't worry yer precious little head, yer highness; we're gonna make sure that our genius mage has no problems with this guy at all._

Estelle: (closes eyes) _…_

Tai: _Estelle... looks like I better do my part in helping you guys save Rita. For Estelle's sake._

Repede: (barking upward, neutral face) _WOOF!_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Meet Akihiro, the next of my ocs in the story. I hope you get used to him because he'll be a part of the heroes in several times throughout this story. And Rita is possibly in fatal danger! Can the group with their new friend get over there in time! Find out next!


	14. Behold the genius mage

"Well... for worrying about our mage being in trouble, the city is really rather quiet and peaceful as ever, isn't it?" Yuri said, looking around.

The group had made it to the entrance of the city of Aspio, and contrary to what they thought would be a city in panic when Rita in trouble, it was calm and peaceful. All the researchers in their robes were having their faces all shoved in books and paid no attention to what was around them. Some of the group could have sworn seeing some of them walk right into buildings.

"So... the city of scholars is more like the city of bookworms..." Tai said, folding his arms and thinking pathetically at what he saw.

"Tai! They're very intelligent and wise researchers; that's not nice to say of them," Estelle scolded him.

"Hey, if you're so wrapped up into a book, that you literally will smash into the side of a building and not pay attention of where you're going, you're a bookworm," Tai tilted his head away with his eyes closed.

"I'm agreeing with Tai on that one, Estelle; I definitely know you and Rita don't be careful when you go into 'bookworm mode'," Yuri said, smirking at the princess pouting at him.

"Well, whatever the case, we need to be going to find Rita, just in case that man is coming her by any chance," Flynn said, as the group started to approach the area.

"HEY! HOLD IT!"

Everybody turned to see Akihiro panting with a grumpy face as he walked over to them. His snorting in breaths made him look rather ridiculous. He soon caught his breath and approached them.

"What's the big idea just ditching me back there? Geesume, you're just as rude as that guy before..." he groaned.

"Oh, my goodness! Please forgive our rudeness!" Estelle immediately bowed to him and apologized, "We didn't mean to forget you like that. We just were worried about a friend of ours being in trouble."

"Huh? Who's this friend?" Akihiro's face suddenly went surprised and worried.

"She's a mage who resides here in Aspio," Flynn explained to him, "That man that pushed you earlier this morning maybe trying to harm her."

"What!? Man, this just proves that guy is a jerkbag!" he yelled in frustration, "Well, let's go make sure she's going to be okay!"

"Right, let's get to her shack here. Luckily, I still have the official passport papers needed to get in," Yuri said, pulling them out of his pocket.

Walking up to the city entrance, the group was stopped by the guards and asked for their passport. Yuri handed it to them and after reading it for the knowledge that it was real, they let all go up into the city. Walking up the steps and into the city, soon there were inside the dark and glowing city as the scholars gave them different looks of seeing different clothed people inside of the city. As they got to the middle, they made a right down a ramp and towards a small shack sort of building that was near ice and chains. Approaching the door, Flynn stepped up to it.

"Hello? Rita, are you there?" he asked, kindly knocking on the door.

It was silent as the group watched from behind. As several seconds passed, he tried again but there was no answer. He turned back to the group and walked back to them.

"Well, she doesn't seem to be home," Flynn said, a bit disappointed.

"Oh, come on, you didn't even try hard enough," Yuri said, walking to the door, and turning the door knob to open it up, "See?"

"Yuri! Please don't just go barging into her house!" Estelle ordered in a polite yet scolding manner.

"What? The door was open, and besides, Rita knows us and would let us in, anyways," Yuri said, shrugging as he began to walk inside.

"Yeah, but Rita also is the the type who doesn't take a likin' to anyone just bustin' into her house, like ya did several months ago, Yuri," Raven said, warning him as Tai and Akihiro had question marks come over their heads, "She might cast a spell on ya for not learnin' a lesson."

"Oh, come on, Rita's not that impatient and hot-tempered... is she?" Yuri said confidently, but soon doubted himself.

"I don't know, Yuri; you traveled with her; surely you would know by now," Flynn teased with a smirk.

With a bit of a grumpy face, the man turned away from the giggling commandant and all eventually ended up going in. Rita's shack was exactly how they all last visited it. Books thrown everywhere and notes and sketches for ideas were scribble on chalkboards, papers, and even the walls and floor. And to the smiles of everyone who knew her, there was Rita coming down the staircase that led to the upper half which was her bedroom in a bit.

"Rita!" Estelle exclaimed happily.

"Hey, Rita; long time no see," Yuri said, smiling at her.

But alas, as all would knew her, the mage was not even paying attention and chanting to herself her calculations and research.

"So, if I took into concept the balance of what happened with the aer from that project, and possibly add a magic spell to that, I could..."

"And, she's not even paying attention," Yuri sighed as he shook his head.

They watched Rita walk to the chalkboard and then continue on, "No, wait, that could throw the balance of that off and make that unstable. The aer could make harmful effects. Okay, then maybe I could measure the specific..."

"Um... is she deaf?" Tai asked, tilting his head.

"Well, in a way, yes," Raven said, grinning at the boy.

"Rita has this... perk to her on where she gets so focused on her research, she doesn't even pay attention to what's around her," Estelle said, looking down a bit.

"In other words, you could wave a weapon in her face, and yet even then, she still wouldn't notice you," Yuri said, watching her come right near them.

Rita literally walked right past them, went to the bookshelf, and grabbed a few books. Then, she walked right past them again and to her desk, getting a few papers and tools to stack onto her pile in her arms.

"Whoa... she didn't even notice us then," Akihiro said, wide-eyed.

"Incredible; what sheer focus," Flynn said, impressed.

Estelle giggled, "Hehe, that's our Rita."

They watched her start to make her way to the stairs when she said, "Okay, so what I need is to calculate the quantum per square inch of the possible radius and - !"

Suddenly, the mage stopped and in a flash, threw all the books and stuff in her arms behind her head as she turned around with the most shocked and happy face. She ran to Estelle and hugged her tightly, causing the princess to smile and leaving the men to choose what to watch; the astounding behavior of Rita being happy and hugging Estelle, or watching her books and things fall to the ground with large thuds and clattering.

"E-Estelle! What are you doing here?" She laughed happily.

Suddenly, realizing who else happened to be with her, Rita's face suddenly reddened as she cleared her throat and let go. She folded her arms and closed her eyes.

"U-Uh, I mean, this is such a surprise. I wasn't expecting you all to be here; a heads-up would've been a lot better, but it's still good to see you," she said more collectively.

"Just good, huh? If throwing your stuff over your head to rush to hug Estelle is good, I'd hate to see what you'd do if you were ecstatic," Yuri said, grinning at her.

"Ah...! Shut up, you!" Rita ordered him as she glared at him (despite her really happy to see all of them, even Raven), "Who asked you to speak at all?!"

"Ahh, still the rambunctious one, I see," Raven smirked, and rubbed his chin a bit.

Rita looked at him, and made a disgusted face as she groaned, "And why'd you bring the old man into my house? He's going to contaminate the place!"

"Hey!" Raven pretended to be offended, but the group smirked or either chuckled, yet Tai kept a close eye on the teasing to make sure it didn't go too far.

"Wait a minute, how'd you all even get into my house, anyways?" the mage asked baffled.

Suddenly, all fingers pointed towards Yuri. Soon, an unimpressed and incredulous face came from the girl to him as she stared at him for several seconds.

"Why am I not surprised? Yuri, can you not keep barging into my house without my permission? This is what; the second, third, maybe fourth time?" she degraded him.

"Hey, come on, you weren't answering when Flynn was knocking on your door," Yuri tried to offer an excuse.

"And you're still too dense to even apologize..." Rita sighed as she shook her head and went over to pick her stuff up, "Well, I suppose you have learned something in a way; at least, you're not barging into my room and waving a sword in my face, claiming I'm a blastia thief."

Once Yuri grumbled in a cranky sort of way, a chuckle coming from the old man, princess, and Akihiro. Rita perked her head up and suddenly realized there were two people in the house she didn't know. Once she finished picking her stuff up and putting on the desk, she walked over to them.

"Who are the two guys?" she asked, standing in front of them, folding her arms.

"Hiya! My name's Akihiro! Nice to meet you, Rita!" the teenage warrior grinned and introduced himself.

The mage glared at him, a bit uninterested once he talked, and nodded, "Nice to meet you."

Feeling a bit unappreciated, Akihiro folded his arms with a grumpy look, but soon Estelle cheered him back up by standing next to him and giving him a look to not let Rita get to him. As the mage looked over at Tai, she suddenly found herself interested with him as the guy's left arm caught her eye.

"And... you are?" she asked, looking at him.

"Oh, Rita, this is Tai," Estelle introduced with a smile.

"Yo," was all that came out of him as he kept his arms in his pockets.

Rita raised an eyebrow at the black and green glove of his. Taking a bit too long to study it with her gaze, the teen felt a bit suspicious and moved a bit to bring her eyes back up to his face.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"You got a very interesting glove there," Rita said, then shrugging it off, as she turned back to the guys of the group.

Unknown to anyone, Akihiro felt a bit upset and jealous that the mage paid more attention to him as he looked at him. Not noticing, Tai didn't sense the teen's eyes studying him as he paid attention to the conversation started.

"So, why are you all here anyways? A simple visit is unlikely if it's you," she asked.

"Yes, that is true," Flynn said, catching her attention, "Rita, as the commandant of the imperial knights and as a friend, I've come to ask for your help. There's a group of thieves going around and stealing blastia and cores."

Automatically tuning in, Rita looked at him and said, "What? Who are they?"

"According to the information I've been given, they are past guild members and knights," Flynn said, looking at his companions, "but recently, it became much more."

"Yeah, it appears these so called thieves can create monsters, and we had to fight one yesterday," Yuri added.

"Yesterday? So that was what that roaring was," Rita said, implying she heard it, "If these people made monsters, they might be using some really high-grade technology. Something only mages could use."

"So, these guys also could have some smart people in their ranks, eh?" Raven said, seriously.

"And on top of that, we have a possible guy who's associated with them that is trying to get rid of the ones who defeated the Adephagos, and according to Akihiro, he was heading to Aspio," Yuri explained.

"What? You came for my protection? Do you not think I can't handle myself?" the mage grumbled, a bit upset on how they thought she wasn't strong enough.

"Rita, the monster we fought was resistant to all magic types," Estelle said, causing Rita to blink in understanding.

Yuri then pointed to Tai and added, "Not to mention it was so strong, that it kicked Tai across the plains and messed him up."

Akihiro flinched at the thought of that kind of pain, "Wh-whoa, really? That's gotta hurt!"

Giving sort of a ticked off glare at him, the teen scoffed and said, "Gee, thanks, Yuri."

"What?" Yuri said, shrugging in all honesty.

"Yuri, ya still got a long way to go before ya realize that ya can word different words better," Raven said, criticizing the man.

"Getting back to the matter on hand, if that guy is really associated with the blastia thieves and trying to get rid of us, he may make a monster that you can't really take on alone with magic," Flynn explained, "So, not only can you travel with us again, but we could really use your assistance."

"I'm in," Rita nodded to his satisfaction, "If these guys are stealing blastia and cores, I'm definitely stopping them. I don't care if they don't work any longer; they won't go misusing them at all! Now, lemme get some stuff and then we can go."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Soon, the group was walking towards the entrance to head out of Aspio. As the went down the curved stairs, Yuri turned his attention to Flynn.

"So, now that Rita is a part of the group, what's the great commandant planning to do now?" he asked the knight.

"Well, it's off to Capua Nor to recruit some other knights to help fight against the thieves," Flynn answered.

"So, then, we gotta go through Ehmead Hill to get to the port city?" Raven wanted to confirm if he was right.

"Not trying to weird anybody out, but how far is this hill and city?" everyone looked to Tai to see him ask.

There was a bit of group silence as they looked at him with awkwardness, excluding the old man and Estelle. Rita folded her arms and looked at him with a disbelieving face.

"You don't know you way around this place, do you?" she said, meaning to be degrading.

However, she was surprised with the neutral yet truthful answer and shrug of, "Not really."

"Oh, come on, you act like you've never been outside Halure," Yuri said nonchalantly, a sentence in a form that he said to Estelle on the beginning of his amazing adventures.

"Yeah, you can say that," Tai agreed, causing Yuri to blink in shock and Repede to tilt his head in even more curiosity.

"Well, well, it took you long enough," a male voice came from the front of the group.

They all looked to see a man waiting near the city entrance, leaning up against the wall. He wore a black cloak and was a big muscular, burly man who had long black hair in a ponytail with a tiny streak of hair in front of his face. He was standing over two guards laying down out cold.

"Hey! You're the jerkbag from this morning!" Akihiro yelled angrily.

"And you're also fitting the description of who attacked my messenger," Flynn said, glaring seriously at the man.

"It seems we got a match here," Yuri said, bringing his hand near his sword that was sheathed.

"And you've taken forever to get out here. But I should thank you all," he smirked as he looked at them, "You made finding yourselves easier."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rita finally makes her debut! And she soon will be joining the group again! And the unknown man makes his appearance and will unveil who he is in the next chapter. What will happen next? Keep going!


	15. Boss Battle: Cescoral, Secret exposed

The group stood off looking at the man who was standing over the knights that he had defeated. He smirked confidently as he watched their faces stare ready for a fight at him, as he saw Estelle use a Magic Lense on him.

"So, you're Yuri Lowell, huh?" the man said, "You look impressively young for your reputation."

"Sorry, but I don't get flattered over compliments coming from a bastard like you," Yuri said, glared angrily at him, "I take it you're the man who attacked that imperial messenger and who pushed Akihiro today, right?"

"Ahh, a 'cut-right-to-the-chase' kind of guy, huh? That's perfectly fine. Then I'll go by your logic and do the same. That mage there; give her to me," the man said.

Rita flinched a bit, but wasn't afraid as she stated to pull out her Ivy Whip and say, "Nuh-uh. I don't think so; your unintelligent self would drive me insane."

"We won't let you touch one of our own," Yuri threatened as he flung the sheath off his sword to the side and held his sword.

"Oh, I like that attitude. Fighting you will be a lot more interesting now," the man pushed himself off the wall and faced them.

Suddenly, Yuri and Flynn felt themselves separate as Akihiro flung himself at the man and charged. Taking his chakrams tightly, he rushed at the man and gritted his teeth.

"I've had it with the guy! I'm taking you down right now!" he yelled as he got to the man.

"Akihiro! Wait, don't!" Yuri called after him.

But by the time he tried to warn him, the teen got a few steps within the man and suddenly, a circular form of waters on his chakrams spinned as he held them like mini shields.

"Water Palm!" he yelled the arte name and tried to bash the attack into him.

The attack was incredible, but the target side-stepped impressively. Catching the teen off guard, he grabbed the shoulder of his tanktop with his left arm and then proceeded to ram his right forearm across the back of the teen's head. Causing Akihiro to yelp in pain a bit as his head went forward, the boy struggled to stay on his feet as suddenly the man swung him by his tanktop and flung him backwards towards the group. It forced him to tumble backwards hard a few times, but the teen's amazing agility was able to flip backwards and land by his new friends.

"Aoow... Why you...!" he grunted.

"Hold it, Akio," Yuri advised against, "You can't just go rushing off like that! That's how you got thrown last time."

"I know, I know! And that's not my name!" Akihiro grunted in frustration.

"Haha! You've got spunk, kid, not to mention some good artes, but you're nuts if you think you have the slightest hope of taking me on like that," the man said as he slowly cracked his neck and slowly revealed a huge right arm that was covered with a metallic arm cover, "But I guess I can entertain you a bit."

"I will not tolerate the outrage you did to my soldier! You will be put under arrest for assault, and attempted murder of the commandant and her royal highness!" Flynn announced pulling out his knight sword.

"Of course, all you knights talk so 'noble and mighty', eh?" he asked as he got into stance.

"Hey, since you know so much about us, surely you would give your name before we crush you," Yuri said, slowly getting into his stance.

"Hehe, this will be fun! My name is Cescoral, and you all are my toys!" he said, rushing at them.

"Hah, in your dreams, pal!" Akihiro yelled as he, Yuri, and Repede got their weapons ready and rushed at them.

"Raven, stay by my side," Flynn ordered the old man, "We need to protect Tai and the girls."

"Righty-o," Raven nodded as the two began pulling their weapons.

"I don't need protection," Tai said as he was staring to reach for his bat, but suddenly flinched at his body reacting to soreness.

"Tai, your body hasn't entirely healed yet," Estelle said, worried for him as she stood by his and Rita's side, "You need to stay back while the others handle it."

"Tch, whatever! I know I'm not just gonna let this guy get away with bragging about kidnapping me!" Rita replied angrily to that, as she ran near Flynn and began charging a spell.

Meanwhile, the men were having a hard time fighting this man. It wasn't that this man was really fast and couldn't be hit; it was exactly the opposite. This man's gold arm cover was thrown in the way of every strike one of the three made. It just bounced the weapons off of it. Cescoral smirked in the face of Yuri, who just clashed his weapons with his arm and struggled to overpower him.

"What's a matter, Yuri? Can't land an attack against my arm?" he grinned.

"Bastard!" Yuri grunted as he backed up and tried an arte.

"Crushing Eagle!" he yelled as he began to attempt his arte by stabbing the ground and catching the man off guard with the attack.

But as Yuri did the attack, Cescoral jumped up and lunged his other arm at him. The young man realized he wasn't there and looked up right in time to catch a blow to the face. A brief shout of pain, Yuri was sent hard to the ground and grunted to get up. Seeing his master attack, Repede growled and lunged at the man. Catching the dog right on cue, Cescoral kicked under the ribs and caught the dog in a painful kick. Getting the breath knocked out of him, Repede choked a bit and was limp on the foot as the man flung him to Akihiro who was rushing in. The teen suddenly had a face of deep fear fall upon them.

"Oh, no no NOOO!" he yelled as Repede collided into him with a huge thud and both went rolling.

As the three fighters struggled to get up, Cescoral grinned and ran at the rest of the group, "So, do you wanna join in the fun too?"

"Lady Estelle, stay behind me!" Flynn ordered as he readied himself.

"Hey, ain't ya got no shame for attackin' beautiful ladies?" Raven snapped at the man.

"O golden rain who bringeth good fortune, thy name is... Gold Cat!" Rita yelled as she finished her spell.

Suddenly, a giant cat made of gold came down right on top of the man. It seemed the cat flattened the man, but then everyone's eyes came in awe of how he was actually lifting it up with his one arm. He grunted in struggle as he flung it to the side.

"Heh, like a weakling spell is going to be enough to take me down!" he yelled, rushing at Rita.

Suddenly flinching in a bit of shock, Rita readied her whip. Despite the fact she wasn't the best melee fighter of the ones there, she was pretty good as she swung the whip at him, causing a bolt of magic a bit to go at him. The man dodged swiftly and would've attacked her if Raven hadn't gotten there, and readied an arrow. With a grunt, he shot it at Cescoral and caused the man to back up a tiny bit, just in time for Estelle to suddenly rush in with her shield. Bringing his right leg up, he used that with his arms to block the rushing attempt of a bash attack, and surprisingly wasn't hurt.

"Oho, so the princess wants a part of this too?" he asked, smirking.

"Estelle!" Flynn and Yuri yelled in concerned as both rushed over with their weapons ready.

"I will not hesitate to fight anyone who attacks my friends!" Estelle said boldly, causing Rita to blush, and the old man was tempted to say something, but rather not risk the mage going berserk.

Seeing everybody was soon getting in on the action, Tai realized he couldn't just stay back. Grunting from pain a bit, he soon pulled his bat to his hands and dropped into stance, soon to run at the fighting. It didn't take him long to find an opening to try to strike Cescoral as Flynn had gotten knocked back with a punch and Raven had shot an arrow to cause the man to jump back right at him. Suddenly sensing the teen near, he turned to see Tai sorely swing his bat right into his arm and they both clashed together, having an epic stare-off.

"Tai!" Estelle shouted, concerned for him.

"Aha, so you're also a new face I haven't seen," Cescoral said with a grin, though Tai made no facial change or sound, "Let's see what you got!"

Suddenly, the man turned and swung his left arm in a punch towards Tai. He then flinched in realization the boy had crouched and shoved his left foot into the man's shin. Causing him to be staggered, Tai popped up and used his right knee into the man's stomach, actually juggling him into the air. Foe and friends equally amazed, Tai took his bat and swung it down onto the man, causing a hard knockdown into the ground. It was then Tai flinched in pain and suddenly crouched into one knee in a grunt.

"Tai, are you okay?" Flynn asked, noticing his pain.

But taking only a second to get him, Cescoral jumped to his feet and swung a mighty fist at the legs of Tai, knocked the teen off his feet. Seeing the teen writhe in pain, the man grinned and stood above him, soon beginning to take his gigantic fist to deal a fatal blow.

"Now, you're mine, kid!" he yelled in victory as he began to descened his arm.

"TAI!" Yuri yelled as all ran towards the two, though none would make it in time.

Opening his eyes to see the danger coming at him, the thought of keeping his secret from everyone else left his head immediately. Realizing there was no other way, Tai's instincts kicked in as he raised his left arm up to the man and his glove glowed. Immediately, Rita was the first to notice this and was in awe of the amazing power she was seeing. She stopped and stared at Tai as the energy started to arise from the bottom of them.

"What is that...? Could that be what I...?!" she said to herself.

In a bit of fear and anger, Tai quickly yelled, "Darkness Hands!"

The dark green and black energy came out of the ground, and forming as hands, wrapped all around Cescoral's body and his arm especially. The man was freaked out by the sudden thing that grabbed onto him and struggled to move.

"What the...!? What is this stuff!?" he yelled, losing his cool demeanor.

The party was equally shocked. Yuri was amazed, yet suspicious at the arm of Tai commanding the energy, as Flynn shared the same awe and doubt. Repede was actually looking taken back for one of the only times ever, as Akihiro just stared like a dumb idiot.

_"Whoa... he has that kind of power? I so want that!"_ he thought as he struggled to get up after Repede had gotten off him.

"What incredible power... I never thought someone his age could possess something that amazing," Flynn said to himself.

Since both already knew about it, Estelle and Raven nodded to each other and rushed at him. Cescoral soon saw that they were coming, and Tai then cut off the attack and rolled away to struggle to stand. Estelle swung her sword at the man missing, but allowing the old man the perfect chance to land a blow.

"Spinning round and around!" Raven yelled as his bow and knife hit Cescoral completely.

The man yelling in pain, Yuri decided to end the fight for now as he rushed in and swung the sword of his.

"Azure Edge!"

The wave of energy caused the man to be sent flying down the entrance. Grunting as he immediately stood up and the group looked down to him, he realized that he was slowly losing favor.

"Damn... those heroes are tougher than I thought... especially that new kid... never seen a power like it..." he muttered to himself.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**_Great!_**

**_Secret Mission 2: Used an arte to knock Cescoral back down towards the entrance of Aspio._**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Cescoral then looked up and said, "Well, it looks like I've had my fun for today. I'm gonna be taking my leave now."

"What? Running off so soon? Don't tell me you're chickening out already," Yuri taunted with a serious face.

"Yuri! We don't want him comin' back up to fight!" Raven said in haste, causing his friend to be silent.

"Smart man. You should listen to the old guy more, Yuri," Cescoral said, quickly running off after he finished his statement, "Again, I'll repeat that I better take my leave before your commandant gets any funny ideas. But don't worry your lovely heads; I'll be back to take the mage... and the hooded kid too."

Tai caught a hold of that addition. Great... just wonderful. Not only did he reveal his secret to the group when he didn't want to, but now the enemy has taken a like to his power and wants it. He struggled to stand up as soon he saw Raven bent down to help him up.

"You okay, kid? Ya took a mean hit back there," Raven said, finally getting him to his feet while Estelle walked over to them.

"Y-Yeah, I'll be fine," he said, grunting as he looked at everyone else.

And it was exactly what Tai feared and hoped wouldn't happen. Everyone else was staring in curiosity and suspicion at his arm. The teen lowered his head so the hood would cover his eyes. Estelle glanced concerned at him as Raven sighed and rubbed the back of his head. This uncomfortable and awkward silence would last, until a certain mage caused the conversation to continue.

Forgetting all about him and focusing on studying the arm, Rita rushed over to Tai and grabbed his left arm, yanking it a bit as to get the glove off. Feeling her and taken off guard, the teen ripped his hand out of her grasp and backed up.

"H-Hey!" he yelled, causing the group to twitch without expecting it.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?! Lemme see that glove right now!" Rita ordered, trying to reach for it.

"No," Tai said, calming down as he backed up, "I don't like people touching me. Now, quit it!"

"I don't care what you like or don't like! That glove created some sort of power and I want to know how it did that!" Rita said annoyed, advancing a bit more, and causing Tai to fear the possible revealing of what was really with his arm!

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Seems Cescoral, our first new evil guy, is one serious dude. And Tai was forced to reveal the glove's power to everyone. And now, Rita demands to see what it is. Could this be the way Tai's ultimate secret is exposed!? What will happen against the blastia thieves!? Keep on reading!


	16. Back onto the road

Reviews: Rhino: Decided to give this story a shot, glad I did. I look forward to seeing where you go with this, I'm not going to favorite or follow, but I do check the Vesperia page often enough to where I'll see when you update. You've got something good here, let's see what you do with it.

Vesperian-Ivia-Elemental: ...Why didn't I read this sooner? I deserve a good smack to the head for missing out on a good story up till now! That being said; this story is great, Tai is interesting, I enjoy the skits and the character interaction and I can't wait to see what happens next! Nice job so far! :3

Thanks, you two. I'm not smacking anyone and I'm just glad people are reading this and enjoying it. To be honest, I made this on the fly and still am, so if you got good suggestions for maybe sidequests OR THE STORY ITSELF, please lemme know. Now, back to the story.

AND ALSO, TALES OF VESPERIA 2: THE BLASTIA AGE RESTORED NOW HAS OVER 1,000 VIEWS! THANK YOU GUYS; IT'S BECAUSE OF READERS LIKE YOU THAT DRIVES ME TO KEEP GOING! KUDOS TO YOU! ;3

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Rita!" Estelle said, causing the mage to realize she was causing the princess to be upset, and stopped trying to grab it, "That's really rude to just grab at somebody like that."

"It's just a glove, for crying out loud," Tai groaned as he stepped back near Estelle and the old man, like they were bodyguards, "What's the big deal?"

"That kind of energy: I've never seen anything like that before," Rita explained, yet was still sort of pushy at him, "The way it made that aer into that matter and formulated it. It's so intriguing. It's part of being a researcher; you gotta study the things that haven't even been explored yet. Your glove was able to control some sort of massive energy, and I wanna find out what it is."

"Well, there are three problems with that then," the teen pointed three fingers up, "One: I almost got killed by some huge guy about a few seconds ago, so I'm right now I'm not wanting anyone close around me. Two: I've had a past with people coming up and wanting my glove, so no. And three: I don't do people touching me."

"You let the old man help you up to your feet," Rita said, trying to prove him a hypocrite.

"Because I trust the old man to help me up to my feet. You yanking my arm off... not so much," Tai said, looking away.

"Ah! Why you...!" Rita began.

"Okay, okay, that's enough," Yuri said walking over, and calming the situation down, "I don't need you two starting a fight after we just got done with one. Still, gonna have to say your glove's pretty cool, Tai. Not a bad arte style you have."

"Yeah! You like stopped that jerkbag in his tracks! He was like gonna kill you, and then you were like 'not in my face, you won't!' And then you totally owned him!" Akihiro ranted excitedly and uncontrollably.

All looking at his... well, unique way of putting it, the teen smiled at them, innocently tilting his head at them. Giving up on his ability to realize how weird he was, Yuri turned back to Tai and spoke.

"To think that glove can hold that kind of energy... that might come in handy against huge monsters," he said, complimenting him, but the teen was sadly taking it the wrong way, as others in the past tried to use him before.

"Wait a minute. Wasn't that the same energy that helped wound that Orochiberus monster's legs?" Flynn said, recalling a memory from the fight that occurred yesterday.

"Oh, yeah! That was the same thing! Tai, you ended up really saving our butts back there!" Yuri said, as he and Repede suddenly acknowledged the one who set up the twin mystic arte for them, "You're more powerful than you look."

Eyes of uncomfort set in on not only Tai, but Akihiro. Once again, this hooded kid was the spotlight of these guys' attention? He wasn't going to get to his dream of the champion of Nordipolica if others kept shining in his way. And those artes... they were strong... That was it, from now on, Tai was his new rival.

Silence was all that came from the hooded teen. Wonderful, now the blastia thieves would be interested in him... and could these guys be trusted anymore? He kept his face buried in the shadows as Estelle and Raven caught onto his drift. Since the others were clueless and surprised at his rejection of compliments, Yuri became suspicious.

"Tai? Hey, you okay?" he asked.

"I think we're all just a bit shaken up, Yuri," Estelle said, causing Tai to lighten up a bit, "We just weren't expecting to have to fight."

"Yes, and it also appears that we were right; that Cescoral man must be a part of the blastia thieves, and they're looking at Rita specifically, since she's a ex-blastia expert," Flynn said.

"Well, I guess she's gonna need our protection, won't she?" Raven sighing, shrugging.

"Hey! I don't need your protection, old man! I can handle myself just fine!" Rita snapped, and folded her arms with a confident pout.

"Oh... I guess that means you don't want to come with us," Estelle said, looking down.

Suddenly, realizing the folly she made and wanted to make it right, Rita stuttered with a concerned blush, "N-No! It's not like that...! I... um..."

Yuri and Raven starting smirking at the mage trying to give an excuse for traveling with her best friend, as she said, "S-Since... since they're going around stealing blastia, they must have some good reason to want me to be a part of their plans. I mean, since I'm one of the famous mages from Aspio, then somebody in that group must know pretty well of me. I'm going."

"All right, if that's all you say it is..." Yuri said, hiding his grin away from the steaming embarrassed girl.

"Th-That's all that it is! What!?" she snapped.

Flynn turned to the young man behind him and asked, "Akihiro, I want to apologize for dragging you into the fight, but I thank you for your assistance."

"Haha! Don't apologize; it's not a burden to me! Sure, a few smacks around, but it's great training for me!" he grinned impishly.

"Hm... Well, you're a good fighter in my book."

That sentence shot through Akihiro so swiftly, he was blushing as a result. Getting rid of it, he tracked the voice towards Tai, who looked up at him. He started to smile widely as he felt really honored.

"Y-You for real, man? You think I'm good?" he said, innocently.

"Sure, you made that guy work to fight you. Sure, you got places that need improvement, but you're strong as far as I can see," Tai shrugged.

"Yes, you were marvelous at using different elements with your weapons! First that fire technique, now that water one!" Estelle said, rather intrigued.

"I have to say you surprised me a bit secretly. I mean, I use elemental spells as my main way of attacking, but that's the first time I've seen techniques use elements that don't refer to weapon attributes," Rita said, nodding neutral to him.

"Yeah, kid, ya really put on a show there," Raven winked to him.

"Awesome! Hey, Rita, would you like it if I taught you some of those attacks?" Akihiro said, grinning innocently to the mage who had blushed from being offered something so generously out of nowhere, "And maybe as a trade, you can teach me some of your spells!"

"U-Uh... sure, if I'm ever interested," Rita shifted a bit uncomfy.

"Aww, how cute. The two of you youngings learnin' artes together," Raven smiled dreamily.

"Shut it, you!" she ordered the man to silence, though the boy was secretely thinking about Tai and maybe... just maybe...

"So, I guess by your tone and how you're talking about learning with Rita that you're coming with us, Akihiro?" Flynn asked.

"Yep! Not only will I get a lot of training with you guys, but I won't be alone! I've always wanted to have some friends!" the kid said joyfully, but the group caught that last part to be a bit of a downer by how his voice lost a bit of that joy there.

Yuri smiled and high-fived him, "Well, then, welcome to the team, Akio-"

"Akihiro!" the boy corrected, causing a groan out of Repede.

"Right, sorry," he said (as Estelle and Flynn could've sworn the boy said 'no, you're not'), "So, Flynn, is it off to the port city now?"

"Yes, and then we will decide our next course of action. I just hope the two knights there will be alright," Flynn said, worriedly.

"Don't worry, we'll get there," Yuri said, as the group moved at the finishing of his words, "Let's move it to Capua Nor."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rita and Akihiro joined the party.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Bittersweet welcome

Yuri: (head perks up, confident face) _Well, Akio, welcome to the team._

Repede: (barking upwards, neutral face) _Woof Woof!_

Akihiro: (grinning, eyes closed, laughing face) _Hahah! Thanks, Yu-!_ (eyes narrow comically, screaming/shocked face) _HEY! My name is Akihiro!_ (head tilts to his left, disappointed face) _Why can't you say my name right, Yuri?_

Yuri: (head tilts to his right, carefree face) _What's the problem? It's just a nickname; something easier to call you by._

Akihiro: (looks straight forward, persistant/serious face) _But Akio is not my name! The definitions of Akihiro and Akio are different._

Estelle: (looks surprised)_ Really?_

Akihiro: (neutral face) _Yeah, the definition of Akio means "glorious hero" or "glorious man". My name means "large glory"._

Estelle: (neutral face) _Um... those definitions are nearly the same thing. _(Akihiro looks stunned)

Yuri: (neutral face) _Yeah, so it makes sense to call you by a nickname that is like your name and its meaning. Anyways, it's still cool to have you on the team, Akio._

Repede: (looks to his left) _WOOF!_

Akihiro: (grits teeth, angry face, closes eyes) _No... I don't wanna be remembered for the wrong name..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Curiosity

Raven: (head tilts to the right, eyes shorten, curious face) _Huh? What's on all of your minds?_

Yuri: (neutral face) _Huh? What do you mean?_

Raven:_ Don't try to fool ol' Raven; I can tell you all are lookin' curious about somethin'._

Yuri: _Well, you got me, old man. Yeah, I'm very interested in that glove Tai has, and those artes he can do._

Flynn: (neutral face) _I must say, I also would love to have a look on how it works._ (looks to his upper left, cups chin in hand, thinking face) _That kind of matter and how he was able to form it... it makes take an amazing way of controlling it._

Yuri: _Yeah, he must be incredibly strong and have it together more than we thought._

Rita: (eyes narrow, irritated face) _I think you're giving him way too much credit._ (closes eyes) _If this glove is super powerful, than I want to understand how it works. And then, I'm taking it away from him._ (head turns to the right, observant face) _I'd hate to think what kind of intentions he has with it._

Flynn: (neutral face) _So, you're going to steal his glove away?_

Rita: (folds arms, head perks up, confident grin) _Eventually. But for now, I'll let him have his fun. I can't wait to dissect it and see what kind of capabilities it can hold._

Raven: (closes eyes) _I hope ya know what you're gettin' into. That kid's not just goin' to give away somethin' that valuable._

Yuri: (shoulders perk up, raises an eyebrow, surprised face) _Tai versus Rita... This is definitely not going to be pretty._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – New rival!

Akihiro: (looks straight forward, persistant/serious face) _Hmmm..._

Tai: (neutral face) _…?_

Akihiro: _…_

Tai: _Is there an issue you got with me?_

Akihiro: (closes eyes) _I've been thinking about something lately, and I decided that I will do this!_

Tai: _Huh?_

Akihiro: (grins, eyes flare up, brave face) _All right! It's settled! Tai, from now on, you're my new rival!_

Tai: (shoulders perk up, head raises up with shocked face, raised eyebrow) _Wha-huh? Wait a minute, where'd this come from?_

Akihiro: _Everyone in the group thinks you're super cool with your glove and skills! If I am to become the champion of the world someday, I gotta become better and stronger than you, Tai!_

Tai: (neutral face)_ … Are you really serious about this rival thing, Akihiro? You positively wanna do this?_

Akihiro: _Doggone it, you better believe it! You will be beaten by the future champion, Tai! Just you wait!_

Tai: (sly face, smirk) _Okay, then. I better not be let down by a weak fight then._

Akihiro: _Haha! You're going down!_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The group's traveling had gotten very far from Aspio. Going through the plains and heading past Halure, everyone had made a good distance from the city of scholars and began making their journey before finally someone decided to make conversation.

"So, you guys seemed pretty strong for just a random group of different people," Akihiro asked, looking at them, "All of you seemed to know each other pretty well in their battle style."

"It's because excluding Tai, we're part of the group that defeated the Adephagos," Yuri explained, nodding to him.

"WHAT?!" the eardrums of everyone nearly imploded as they looked at the over-hyperactive teenager, "You for real, man? You're THE Brave Vesperia group?"

"Well, not all of us are here right now, but yeah, the same," Raven smiled and winked at him.

"Dude, this is SUPER cool! I'm so glad I did come along with you!" Akihiro cheered happily, "I've always wondered what it was like to be in a guild!"

"Really?" Estelle perked her head up and looked at him.

"Ahh, yeah, that seems right; ol' Raven was wonderin' why ya had your hands on a guild style forehead protector headband," the old man aimed his sentence at the young kid.

"Oh, that... I used to have a dream that I'd join a guild and then I'd engrave that guild's symbol onto the metal protector, but I gave up on that," Akihiro shrugged and smiled nonchalantly, "I got bigger dreams now! The champion seat will soon be mine!"

"Oh, please..." Rita groaned, with Repede joining her with a sigh.

"You sure you're okay with just throwing away that other dream like that?" Yuri asked, seeming to think he noticed the boy's right hand twitch a bit, though his face was still positive looking.

"Yeah, I'm totally fine with it!" he smiled, and waved it off.

"Well, I'm glad you can travel with us, and you too, Rita," Flynn said, nicely saying to him then the mage.

"Yeah, well, I've traveled with better people," Rita said, "We have more of a circus now."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Estelle asked, a bit worried by the neutral look in Rita's face yet the negative tone.

"We got the normal crew, sure, but the old man was bad enough," she complained, ignoring his outburst of 'hey!' and continuing, "But now we have the overactive hyper-on-candy kid who doesn't have a notch between high and off, and the hoodie freak who is so defensive of himself."

Everyone who knew Rita just let out their own way of either concern or annoyance as Akihiro glared at her with a comically angry face, shouting, "Hey! That's not nice to say, Rita!"

"At least, I'm more respectful of others, bookworm," Tai said, rolling his eyes.

Suddenly, a silence caught on, as the mage head turned slowly to Tai's direction, as if there would be a fight soon. She walked up to his face and stood ready to argue.

"What did you call me!?" she demanded to know.

"You heard me," Tai said, impressing the guys that he was not backing down from THE Rita, "If you're gonna call me a freak, I'm gonna call you a bookworm."

"Roooogh, I'm gonna strangle you one of these days! Just wait til I get that glove off of you; you'll be toast then!" Rita said, furiously.

Slightly getting ticked off, Tai scoffed at her and with a dark look, replied, "Oh, would you rather me call you 'impatient brat', then?"

"Okay, enough!" Flynn said, rather cautious and scared of what disaster these two could create as he and Yuri began to pull the two apart.

"Hey, lemme go!" Rita said, fighting to get out of Yuri's grip, as Flynn had no problem calming Tai down and getting him away, "I'm gonna fry him with my fire magic! No mercy!"

Estelle chuckled nervously as a sweatdrop went down her forehead. The old man and Akihiro just shrugged with an unimpressed sigh and watched the mage have a temper tantrum in a way. Well, Repede's groan said it the best; this was going to be a LONG trip.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Well, already out of the starting gate, and Tai has gained a rival and an enemy (Rita, that means you). But what will become of the journey ahead? Please, feedback would be wonderful! Thank you so much, and let's say hello to November!


	17. The hill of bonds

Going towards a pathway with a gigantic hill, the group ended up at their destination and had gotten near the mid-way part of the hill after at least thirty minutes of Yuri, Flynn, and Estelle trying to calm the fiery mage down from her scuffle with Tai. Unlike the previous times where a blastia and its core and foundations was shattered preventing access from a certain dragon rider, the pathway was incredibly open and wide.

"Ahh, Ehmead Hill is still the graceful and calm place it was since we last were here," Raven said, smiling here.

"Yes, I remember the beauty of its view of the ocean," Estelle said happily.

"Ahhh, it's just a hill with trees and rocks; don't see what's so great about it," Yuri said, shrugging off the chance to take in the nature.

"Ehh, once again, Yuri's just gotta take out the elegance of nature's beauty," Raven shook his head with a sighing shrug.

Not caring about the comment at him, Yuri went up ahead with Repede to scout the area. The group turned to each other, noticing Raven's remark.

"Yuri's... not one for nature, is he?" Akihiro asked, rubbing his head.

"No... even when he first ventured out of Zaphias, Yuri wasn't all interested in exploring places, especially forests and woods," Estelle said, disappointingly.

"Aw, that's too bad he's not interested in my home," the boy shrugged.

"Wait, your home?" Rita asked, as all looked at him with intrigue, "Where exactly is your home?"

"Right here; Ehmead Hill," Akihiro pointed to the ground with both hands, as all looked at him strangely (Oh, all right, Tai with a collected face and Rita looking uninterested).

"What? That's terrible!" Estelle gasped worriedly, "Why don't you rest at a town or city inn? I'm sure Halure and Aspio's inns would gladly have you."

"Yeah, if I had any money," Akihiro said, kind of embarrassed to be confessing something so badly-sounding, "I don't have any way to get any, and I don't wanna be reduced to a beggar, so I just live here on the hill."

"Then, how do you sleep at night in a place that's infested with monsters? How do you get food or get cleaned?" Flynn asked looking at how healthy and nice he looked.

"I go out into the fields near Halure and kill those wildebeest monsters, then properly clean then and then cook them. I bath by going near the ocean near the hill," Akihiro said, shyly, "And as for sleep, I just relax in a tree near the banks. But I gotta always keep a close eye on knights coming around here so they don't bust me."

It was then the boy realized the person he was speaking to was the commandant of the knights himself, and suddenly paled as millions of sweatdrops anime-style went down his face. Unable to think of a dazzling save on that mistake, the boy dropped his head with defeat.

"I... err... shouldn't have said that with Flynn here, right...?" he groaned.

Rita folded her arms and looked away with a look of pathetic value, "And you're supposed to be the future champion of Nordipolica... Great way to start your career by getting arrested, idiot."

"I'm terribly sorry to hear about this horrible way of living, Akihiro," Flynn assured him, "I will do everything in my power to help you earn money and live better than out here."

"W-Wait, I didn't say this was a burden to live out here..." Akihiro looked up, a bit nervous that the commandant was misunderstanding his vibe.

Tai, on the other hand, tuned out of the conversation around the time the boy was explaining his way of living on the hill. The teenager looked around this area with interest. Not bad. If he could get a house with some good defenses, this would be a great place to live, and not far from Halure at that.

"Ahh, seems you're likin' the wonderful abundance of nature, eh, Tai?" Raven caught his attention as the two walked away from the other four.

"Yeah... not bad," Tai said, smiling a bit, "It's quiet, peaceful, no constant noise. I'd like it here."

"Oh? Well, then, I guess you and me got a lot in common, kid," Raven smiled and looked up at the sky.

"Yeah... maybe..." Tai said, rather happily.

"And it seems you're gettin' along with yer friends a lot more," Raven said, analyzing it a bit, "Keep on like this, and you'll go far."

"Oh, no, they're not my friends."

The old man perked his head up and looked up at the teen. The sudden mood swing was evident on how he buried his hands in his pockets and looked with a grumpy yet serious look. Something wasn't right.

"Huh? Whatcha mean?" Raven asked, curious.

"Those guys aren't my friends," Tai explained as his head lowered, the shadows covering his eyes, "Friendship is such a joke. It's laid out in pretty flowers and ribbons as if that's the only thing you need in this world. Everyone says it's crucial to survive. It's total bullshit."

"Really, now? Care to lend this old man yer thoughts on why?" Raven asked, folding his arms with a carefree and somehow still positive face.

"Friends only bring you down, destroy you by hurting you at your core when you lower your guard and let them close. You get so happy being with them, then one move is all it takes to annihilate everything you are and have," Tai said, with Raven swearing he could've heard a growl from him.

"It seems to ol' Raven you're speakin' from experience," the old man said wisely, causing the teen to look up, with a more lightened face to add.

"...I mean this with all due respect, Raven, but... don't be foolish," Tai said, looking away and feeling bad about who he said it to.

"Gee, that's too bad. So, then, what are yer real thoughts on ol' Raven and the others?" Raven asked, putting his arms behind his head in a relaxing manner.

Tai, a bit baffled on what to say, glanced over at the Estelle and Flynn laughing at some joke Akihiro made which apparently made Rita cranky and snap back. He then glanced over at Yuri and Repede coming back. Then, he looked at Raven. After a good few seconds, he took his hands out of his pockets and took a breath.

"Being truthful? All of them are just acquaintances; nothing more. But you... you're... different," Tai explained slowly with difficulty, "The way you chat with me all the time, how your eyes shine differently than the others when talking about my glove, and how you're so open and concerned about me... I trust you completely."

"Heh, well, Raven the Great has always been the awesome wonder at not goin' with the flow," Raven winked with a grin, causing the teen to chuckle a bit, "so, I appreciate the humble comments. But I'm pretty sure that Estelle and Flynn are just as concerned as lil' ol' me, not to mention the others too in their own way. And they're very trustworthy and all those things ya said too. So, what's the difference? Why am I different then all of them?"

It completely rattled the view of his on the topic to the foundations as the teen got deadly silent. He stared at the old man, not in anger, but in blank shock. Nothing was coming to him; nothing in his mind seemed to provide the facts needed to back up his claim.

_"Why...? I feel so strongly about this, yet for some reason, I don't have an answer to give him. Why can't I respond to that confidently? ...Does this mean that I don't trust the old man? Or does it mean... I do trust the others?"_ his mind struggled to brainstorm.

"I... I don't know," Tai said, looking down, indecisive and struggling on what to say, "I..."

"Hey, now, ya don't have to struggle to go all 'philosophical mumbo-jumbo' here on ol' Raven," the old man said, grinning as he motioned for him to chill, "It can be hard sometimes to find yer feelings in life, ya know. Just take it easy; it'll require time, Tai. But ya got my word that I won't abandon ya. I promise."

"Raven... Thank you," Tai said, smiling.

"All right, everyone," Yuri called out, getting everyone's attention as they came towards him to talk, "We just got done scouting the area. Totally clean. That means we can take it easy for a while."

"Thank goodness; I think we've had enough battling for today already as it is," Flynn said, relieved with a smile.

"Oh! If that's the case, is it okay if we can take a break here?" Estelle asked, hope spread across her face.

"Huh? What for?" Yuri asked, placing a hand on his hip.

"Well, I really like the spot up near the top of the hill, right near the banks, where you can see the ocean," the princess explained, "And I'd love to go up there and see the view again."

"All right, that's fine by me. What do you say, Flynn?" Yuri said, then asked his best friend.

"I don't see why not. I guess we could take a little break here," Flynn nodded, "And, Estelle, I'd like to go with you. Just in case. Plus, I'd love to see this view as well."

"I might as well go too. I don't wanna be stuck in a group of men by myself," Rita said, a bit haste forth as she managed to hide her blush well, "Besides, there's no such thing as 'too much protection'."

"All right then, I guess this means we're all staying down here until you get back," Akihiro said, stretching with a happy face that was ready to do something to alleviate his incoming boredom.

"Oh! Tai, I'd love for you to come with us as well," Estelle said, happily as she walked towards him.

"Me? What for?" the teen said, processing the request that came at him all of a sudden.

"Well... I know you like quiet places, and since the top of the hill is just this gorgeous place, I thought you'd like to come see it," the girl said, smiling wonderfully at him.

"Ahh... well, I suppose I can take a look at it," Tai said.

"And while you're taking a gander at that, I gotta find something to do!" Akihiro said, looking around for ideas, "I can't stand just waiting here quietly!"

"Gee, I never would've known..." Rita groaned sarcastically, Repede sighing at her response.

"Well, here's an idea," Flynn offered, "How about you and Yuri have a sparring match to kill time?"

Suddenly, the eyes flared with the fire of passion and determination in the teenager's eyes. Apparently, that was a very good idea. He grinned as he looked at the long haired city man.

"Hell, yeah! That's so awesome!" he grinned as he began reaching for his weapons, "Whaddaya say, Yuri!?"

"Heh, well... it's better than just sitting around, that's for sure," Yuri smirked as he flung his sheathe off his sword, "Yeah, I guess we can train a bit."

"Haha! I'm gonna wipe the floor with you!" Akihiro panted with utter excitement, dropping into his stance (A/N: If you're having troubling picturing it, it's like Naruto's from the Naruto: Clash of Ninja series).

"Hah, you think so, huh?" Yuri said back at him, as Repede barked, wagging his tail.

"Well, I guess ol' Raven's gotta make sure these two youngings don't set the hill on fire," Raven said, shrugging with a smile, "I'll stay down here with them."

"H-Huh? Really?" Tai stuttered very disappointed, the others besides the sparring fighters taking great notice of how he was uncomfortable being away from the old man.

"Don't worry, kid, it's just a happy walk towards the tippy-top of the hill; you're gonna be fine with me for a few minutes," Raven said, patting him on the shoulder as he said quietly so only they could her, "Ya can count on me if somethin' goes screwy. I'll com' as fast as I can to help ya."

With a slight nod, the teen turned and started to go with the others up the hill.

"Very well, let's start up towards the top," Flynn said, "There are monsters along the way, so be careful and stay close to each other."

"When you say it like that, it loses the 'joyful picnic' feel..." Rita grumbled.

"All right, let's hurry and make our way up there," Estelle said, "I can't wait for Flynn and Tai to see it!"

As the mini quartet made the pathway into the forest, the old man couldn't help but watch the hooded teen go up. He sighed with a smile upon closing his eyes, as his alter ego of Captain Schwann snuck out to speak in a clear and honest tone.

"You claim that I'm different, while everyone else is an acquaintance. You say that you won't make friends, but I'm the exception. Tai... you don't see it yet, do you? You already have made a friendship; with me that is. And what I'm doing is what friends do; branch out and stay close with each other. Let's hope that soon you become wise enough to see that..." he said to himself.

"Hey, old man!" he heard from behind him, and turned to see Yuri calling to him, "Get your butt over here; Akihiro's gonna pop a gasket if you keep him waiting any longer to supervise our match."

Right after an agreeing bark from Repede, Akihiro grinned ecstatically as he twirled his weapons with anticipation for the starting sound and shouted, "Just wait until he says we can start; I'm gonna crush you so badly!"

Taking an awkward glance, and then feeling pale as he didn't feel so ready to fight, Yuri thought in his head, _"Oh, my gosh... he's acting just like that psychopathic nutjob Zagi... I hope he doesn't go obsessed and crazy over me if he loses..."_

Raven brought his current self back out and motioned to calm down, "Okay, easy, I'm comin'!" as he made his way over to the men as the others kept climbing up Ehmead Hill.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Can't figure ya out

Raven: (head tilts to the right, eyes shorten, curious face, closes eyes) _Huh... Tai, I just can't figure ya out. You're such a great kid who's friendly and carin' as I have ever seen, but ya claim ya don't want friendships. Not to mention, you're so confused with explainin' how I'm different then all the others when it comes to knowin' us._ (head tilts to the right, smiling, eyes remained closed) _Heh, and when did ol' Raven get so wrapped up in worryin' about some random kid?_ (neutral face, opens eyes) _You're gonna make it, Tai. And this old man will help ya figure it out._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Yuri, Repede, Raven, and Akihiro left the party.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Awww, how cute. Raven and Tai are getting closer than before. Now, before you all start getting all 'romance' on this, NO, THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE A TAIXRAVEN STORY. However... that doesn't mean (SPOILER ALERT) that the old man won't finally be getting a wife in this story, or maybe even Tai. But enough of that. Hope you liked this newest chapter. ^^ Keep on reading!


	18. Sightseeing with Duke

The trip up the hill was pretty laid-back. Sure, the frequent beetle zipping its annoying noise at them and trying to kill them was wonderfully hated, but in the end it was not so bad. The occasion warning of 'watch your step' came out; too many times if you asked Rita. But in the end, the four managed to get over to the clearing that was lead upwards.

"Oh, we're almost there!" Estelle said, joyously out of nowhere running up the hill.

"Whoa! Boy, does that girl have energy..." Tai observed.

"You should have seen her back on our first journey; she was wired up, jerking us around in different directions because of her whims of helping people," Rita said, rubbing the back of her head.

"You don't say..." Tai said sounding like he heard this for the first time, but actually knew since him being dragged into Zaphias was because of these said whims.

"Come on; we better not keep her waiting," Flynn reminded them as they all ended up getting there.

Reaching Estelle's location, the three then feasted their eyes on the glorious view of which the princess spoke up; it was magnificently astounding to see this incredible view of the ocean. The breeze was soothing with its cool chill, and the ocean's mighty waves were heard of you didn't shout. Rita had seen it before, but Flynn and Tai; this was incredible. Something they never had seen in this magnitude of pure nature.

"I... I never thought such a place could exist," Flynn said, looking straight at the ocean.

"Dude... and I thought Halure's tree was the most incredible thing in this world," Tai nodded in agreement.

"The fresh air... the soothing wind... the relaxing tranquility..." Flynn named off the things that he loved about this beautiful area.

"Heehee, I thought you would love it," Estelle said, smiling cheerfully.

Flynn smiled to her and replied, "I'm so glad in the end you were able to get outside the castle and visit places like this, Lady Estelle."

"Me too! I'm so happy that I met so many friends and learned so many things on my journey!" the princess said happily.

Flynn nodded with a smile of pride as he looked at the princess. She was very sheltered her whole life and now she was able to get out for herself and experience the world for her own good.

But Tai couldn't hear what they were saying. The peace and calmness stared to take over. Closing his eyes, he just stood in place and raised his head to let the wind catch his face.

However, the ever-so-observant Rita never lets anything past her gaze. Especially if that certain thing she observes is something she really wants to dive her attention into. The glove was the main prize, but the attitude of Tai just zoning out was just out there, you know? Only being around him for about an hour, his attitude and this behavior right now made no sense.

"Well, it seems the freak is living it up lovely," Rita pointed out in a tone that would cause a normal commotion.

But oddly, to their surprise, more of Rita's, Tai didn't even twitch at that statement. Not even one recognition of a regular insult to set his sarcastic notch off. He just kept quiet and breathed nicely.

"Tai?" Estelle called to his name, but no response.

"Whoa, it's like he's in his own little world," Rita said, surprisingly less hurtful and more amazed.

Flynn, just to be safe, took a hand to Tai's shoulder and shook him gently. The teen's head perked up and looked at the knight.

"Hm? What is it? Are we leaving so soon?" he asked.

"No, we just were talking to you and you didn't seem to hear us," Flynn said, gently with a smile.

"Oh, you were? Sorry, it must've happened again," Tai apologized, then swiftly attached an explanation before anyone could ask what he meant, "It's just whenever I see a place that is so awesome with peace and beauty, or I hear really powerful music that moves me, I zone out everything and lose myself in whatever I'm letting take a hold of me."

"I don't think I quite understand though," Estelle said honestly, looking a bit sad.

"It's rather simple, really," Rita said, surprising the teen with her niceness for once, "In a way, I can relate. Back when blastia existed, I lost myself in being all about it and blocked out everything to research it. There may be a difference in the fact that he does it for enjoyment and relaxation and I did it for research, but it's the same thing in a way."

"No offense intended, Rita, but considering how badly your relationship with him started, I would never have thought you could relate with Tai," Flynn said as politely as he could.

"Hey, just because I don't like him, doesn't mean I can't have some kind of connection," the mage said, giving him an incredulous look as she folded her arms.

"Oh, really now? Then what say you about Raven and Akihiro? Can you think of a common thing to them?" Flynn asked, smiling but fighting the urge to give a grin that Yuri would as he egged her on.

Rita closed her eyes with a 'hmph' and turned, "Look, I know you're the commandant and all, but don't push it and be like that doofus Yuri, okay?"

With a soft laugh, Estelle smiled, "I thought you would end up saying that."

Suddenly, a noise. Out of the blue, he heard it. Flynn turned his head and immediately readied his Spiel Knight Sword, just in case. The three teens suddenly notice him readying his stance as they all go on alert.

"Flynn, what is it?" Estelle has the courage to ask.

"I don't know, but something's coming this way," he said.

And walking up the hill was a hell of a shocker. It wasn't an enemy, but one unexpected face from the past. It was Duke, the hero of the Great War long ago. The same man who had given up on humanity and had associated with our heroes before.

"Duke...?" Flynn said, dumbfounded.

"What the heck is he doing here?" Rita said, cocking a glance of suspicious interest, "I thought he secluded himself from civilization after the events with the Adephagos..."

"Um... I'm in the dark; what now?" Tai looked at the three for an answer.

"Tai, that man is Duke Pantarei," Flynn explained, sheathing his sword, "That man was the hero of the Great War over a decade ago. After his best friend was murdered, he had stayed away from humanity. Until the Adephagos appeared..."

"It was then, giving up on humanity, Duke tried to sacrifice all of existence to defeat it," Estelle finished.

"Wait... so you mean, that's THE guy everyone says you took down to kill that sky worm?" Tai said, looking at the man.

With the trio giving him a silent and collective nod, they all watch Duke walk silently up to a rock that was buried a bit in the ground near the cliff. Suddenly, three-fourths of the group caught on.

"Oh... he's visiting Elucifur," Estelle said, to herself.

Elucifur... must be the name of the friend he lost, Tai thought. Fancying a look at the man, for a guy who was supposed to be old, he was pretty strong looking. And it wasn't long before Duke sighed and closed his eyes. After a bit of silence, he began to turn away, but then he saw the group.

"..."

Estelle somehow didn't think this was right. She felt like he was hurting. Letting her compassion take over, she walked past the commandant and to Duke.

"Estelle?" Rita said, curious and concern mixing in her voice's tone, as the group made their way over.

"Duke... it's certainly been a long time since we've seen each other," Flynn managed to speak to the man nicely and try to start a nice tone of conversation.

"Likewise," the booming bold and deep voice said, giving off a great hero vibe, "It is well to see you again."

"How have you been doing? Hopefully good, I hope," Estelle said, starting to smile.

"It has been... fair. My life has been peaceful now that the Adephagos no longer taunts the world about its power to destroy it," Duke said, looking up into the sky, "But my pride has been weakened. It's not that I am sore about losing, but that I was not able to fulfill my friend's promise..."

"Duke... I... I'm sorry," Estelle looked down, apologizing.

"What? What do you have to be sorry for, Estelle? He tried to sacrifice us to stop the Adephagos!" Rita objected.

"I know, but still; unable to fulfill a friend's promise is a hard thing to take," the princess responded to the objection, causing the genius to rethink her statement.

"Duke, I understand that you feel you let your friend down, but you were doing the wrong actions for the right intentions," Flynn reminded with compassion, "Elucifur would be proud and so happy that you helped us defeat the Adephagos without sacrificing anyone to obtain victory."

"...Perhaps there is truth in that," Duke said, looking at the knight with a more burden-less face, "I will take into consideration of what you have told me."

Tai folded his arms and gave an analyzing glare, peeking out of his hood.

_"Something about this man just rubs me wrong... He seems nice enough... but so cold..."_ he thought to himself, trying to be secretive.

"So, where exactly have you been living ever since our battle, Duke?" Estelle asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"I have resided in Egothor Forest in a far away continent," the man explained, "But I decided to come up here and visit my friend once more."

Duke happened to catch a glimpse at Tai, then turned the focus of the talk on him, "However, I do not recall seeing a tenth person in your group. Is this someone new?"

"Oh, how rude of me not to introduce him!" Estelle said, apologizing, then turning to Tai, "Duke, this is Tai Hurokido, a friend of mine from Halure. Tai, this is Duke Pantarei, the hero of the Great War."

Deciding to be respectful of a veteran and not come off as the stereotype of ungrateful teenager who could care less, the teen waved his right hand with a (putting-an-act-on) social face, "Good to meet you, sir."

It was then it happened. For the third time today. Duke's eyes studied him for a while, but then happened to fixate on a certain left arm. He worried as the man, despite his calm voice and expression, had a bit of anxiety in himself.

"...Could it be...?" he said as he walked right up to Tai for a few moments and said, "...No... but maybe... Hmmm..."

Backing up a bit, Duke then said, "I suppose I might need to wait a little longer before any action is taken..."

Confusing the group enough as it is, he continued, "I must take my leave from you now. I bid you all a good day."

After all saying good-bye, the group was left a bit stunned as Duke made his way down the hill.

"What was that all about?" Flynn asked, unaware completely.

Tai folded his arms and looked at the leaving man as he started to think, _"And more importantly, why did he say 'wait a little longer before action is taken'? What does the great hero want with me? I haven't done anything wrong, besides that misunderstanding at Zaphias. Unless... he meant about that thing..."_

Rita immediately turned to the hooded teen who was in thought and abruptly snapped, "You. Fork the glove over."

All looked at the mage as Estelle stuttered aloud, "H-Huh? Rita?"

"Wait, what?" Tai said, being dragged out of his own mind.

"I want you to give the glove up to me now," Rita said, serious about it.

"Rita, I mean no offense to you, but right now isn't the time to demand of such a thing. Surely, Tai could give you the glove when we reach Capua Nor or when we're not traveling," Flynn tried to reason with her.

"Look, I'll admit I wasn't so patient about wanting it for research, but if Duke of all people acts like it's a problem and says he would possibly take action against it, that means this thing is more powerful than the freak is letting on," Rita said, looking at the commandant, and then back at Tai, "And if it's dangerous, I won't hesitate to blow his arm off to get it away from him. Now, cough it up."

Tai couldn't believe it. Trying to keep this stupid thing quiet and it all just comes crashing down. First with Yuri in the morning grabbing it, then Rita analyzing it with interest and trying to rip it off, and now this famous veteran saying it might be dangerous and he would take it. Clearly, this secret was going to be public soon if this kept up.

"Well, in that case where you put it that way," Tai said, suddenly activating his glove and causing a wall to come between him and Rita.

It caused the three to jump and cover their eyes as he quickly turned tail and shot down the way they came like a scorching magic spell. (A/N: Seriously, you could just picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail: RUN AWAY!)

Rita opening her eyes to realize she had been upped one, fumed with that infamous rage she was known for and yelled, "HEY! YOU GET BACK HERE, YOU TURD! WAIT UNTIL MY HANDS GET A HOLD OF YOUR NECK!"

With that, Rita bolted down the pathway, leaving the two imperial citizens behind and rushing after her victim. Flynn sighed, shaking his head as he facepalmed.

"Oh, no, there she goes again... And to think, I made fun of Yuri when he complained about her losing her temper," he said.

"We better get down there before she hurts him and the others," Estelle said, rather fearful.

Thus, their little sight-seeing adventure was cut short as the duo ran after the fleeing panic that was coming towards the spar session!

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Like oil and water

Estelle: (looks down, sad) _Oh, this really isn't good._

Flynn: (neutral face) _What is troubling you, Lady Estelle?_

Estelle: _It's just... I feel so bad for Tai and Rita. I want to support them during this time when they argue, but... it feels like what the saying goes. That they're like 'oil and water'; I'm afraid they'll never get along._

Flynn: (smiles) _Ahaha... you worry so much. I assure you that I bet those two will become great friends, but it will require much time._

Estelle: (neutral face) _You... really think so?_

Flynn: _Yes, I feel-_

Tai: (looks down to his lower right, sweatdrop, looks uncomfortable, eyes closed) _Huff... huff... huff..._

Estelle: (looks surprised) _Tai! There you are!_

Flynn: (head tilts to his left, incredulous face) _Where were you? Are you all right?_

Tai: (neutral face, opens eyes) _Oh... that... You see, I was running from Rita because she won't stop chasi- !_ (shoulders perk up, head raises up with shocked face, raised eyebrow) _Oh, shit! _(portrait moves off-screen fast)

Rita: (portrait comes into screen, angry/determined face, fists in front) _Rrroooghhh! You're not gonna get far, you closed-off creep! Spiral Flare! _(portrait moves off-screen, explosion noise, Flynn's eyes widen, grits teeth, scared/shocked face, Estelle's head turned to the right, scared face)

Tai: (voice off screen) _What the hell!? You nearly took my head off!_

Rita: (voice off screen) _I'll take your whole body apart with my fists!_

Flynn: _I... I don't have words for this..._

Estelle: _Maybe they... won't ever get along..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Flynn, Tai, Estelle, and Rita left the party.

Yuri, Repede, Raven, and Akihiro joined the party.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

And Duke makes his appearance. I must admit, I did have a problem writing his lines, because he's just so cool in how he speaks, that it's hard to replicate that awesomeness. And LOL at Rita and Tai at the end! I laugh hysterically, as I used FMA Edward Elric and Naruto's screaming to influence me. Also, Kudos to Monty Python. XDD Keep on reading!


	19. Akihiro's drive

Meanwhile, this whole time at the pathway of Ehmead Hill...

"Lone Wolf Charge!"

"Aaaauugh!"

With a huge smash into him, Yuri knocked Akihiro hard into the ground. The teen's impact with the battlefield was so smashing, he let go of his weapons and then came limp on the ground, leaving a huge crater-type hole where he landed. The man dropped back into his stance as the old man stopped the fight.

"Hold it! We got a spar partner down!" Raven signaled to Yuri to stop, as the man rushed over to check on the teen.

"I guess that means I win the match," Yuri said, celebrating just a bit by twirling his sword a bit before walking to get his sheathe that landed near where Repede was watching.

The dog barked in recognition of his partner winning as he ran over to congratulate Yuri. The man smiled as he scratched under his chin, something Repede secretly loved Yuri doing.

"So, what do you think, Repede? Am I still on top of my game?" he asked.

"WOOF WOOF!" his dog barked, causing Yuri to laugh.

"Heh, I thought so," Yuri said as he picked up the sheathe and put his sword into it.

After doing that, the duo walked over to Raven, who was trying to wake up Akihiro. Apparently, the huge crash into the ground plus the blow Yuri gave equaled a knocked out fighter. Yuri placed his hand on his hip and gave a bit of a sympathetic smile as he watched the old man check the boy.

"Hey, is he gonna be okay?" he asked.

"Hard to tell, Yuri; ya never have pulled yer punches when ya spar," Raven said, not looking at him.

"I guess I should've gone easier on him," Yuri said, chuckling a bit.

"Yuri, did ya not hear what ol' Raven just said? When in the history have ya ever held back?" Raven asked.

"Plenty of times, like... no, maybe not that time... Um..." Yuri tried to say confidently, but then had nothing.

"See? Exactly my point," Raven narrowed his disbelieving eyes and shook his head.

With a bark from Repede that sounding like teasing, the younger man smiled and taunted, "You're just upset that I couldn't hold back, because you could never beat me one-on-one."

"Hey! Be nice!" Raven used one of his infamous demands.

Finally, Akihiro made a groan and started to move again. Feeling a bit more relieved that the kid wasn't in a coma or dead (because, come on, Yuri with a maxed out level and that Glory skill equipped, pretty freaking hard not to get killed by him), the men started to look on how he was doing.

"Hey, Akio, you okay?" Yuri asked, smiling and trying to sound concerned.

The teen groans became more intense and painful as he shot up to a sitting position suddenly. Cringing all over, he was shaking from pain, gritting his teeth. It hit their eyes in shock, as they realized Akihiro's left side of his face was dripped red down from his head. The other injuries of simple cuts and bruising on his body and clothing excluded, the head injury was enough to make Repede whine.

"Whoa! Hey, you alright? I didn't mean to hit you that hard!" Yuri said, dropping down to a knee, pulling out an apple gel, and reaching towards him.

"Wow, gotta hand it to ya, kiddo; ol' Raven wouldn't be able to just wake up that fast and sit up. You're pretty tough for a kid yer age," Raven said, as he started to pull out a melange gel, just in case.

A hand came from the teen swatting away their items away and waving for Yuri and Raven to back off, followed by a struggled groan of soreness.

"Hey, easy! It's just us, kid," Raven tried to calm the boy down.

"Nnnaagh, I just... Ow... I just got knocked out hard onto the ground; the last thing I need waking up is people shoving things in my face..." Akihiro struggled to say at first, but managed to regain his speaking as he closed his left eye when the blood got into it.

"No, the last thing you need is refusing medical attention after taking a shot that hard," Yuri corrected, about to try and hand him the apple gel.

"Rruuhh... I-It's only a dumb cut... agh... I'll be f-fine..." Akihiro said, surprising the trio by turning to his feet and pushing off the ground with his arms, standing up and being able to walk normally as he walked towards his fallen weapons.

But Yuri wasn't going to risk him being seriously hurt as he walked behind him and said, "Hey, hold it. The spar's over. I don't want you to push and risk causing an injury to become worse after what you just went through. Plus, Estelle and Flynn would kill me if I hurt you even further."

"N-No, I'm not gonna fight you," Akihiro grunted as he picked up the chakrams and walked past him, heading towards the port city direction.

"Huh? Hey, where ya goin'?" Raven called after him.

Akihiro stopped and looked over his shoulder, saying in a heroic and yet hurt manner, "I... I have to train."

"Wait, what? Hold it!" Yuri said, having to run a bit and catch Akihiro by grabbing a hold of his shoulder, "You can't just go out and fight monsters in this condition after a fight."

"Huh? Why not? I'm just a little rattled and sore; I'm not helpless, Yuri," Akihiro said, turning around confidently, slightly smirking as he pointed to himself.

"Akio, you went through a huge fight in which you look like you got smacked down hard and blood is pouring down your face," Yuri said bluntly, trying to convince the kid not to go do something stupid, yet not seeming to know how to word that nicer.

"And how do you think I've trained before meeting you?" Akihiro made a valid point as he held his head in his hands, "I've been slashed open, nearly had limbs cut off; hell, one time, I got impaled through my hip. But I kept training and ignored the pain. I'm this good so far by doing it."

The three could not believe the insanity of which he just spoke. He's fought monsters repeatedly in training with life changing or more importantly life threatening wounds before? Well, not with these guys around.

"Com' on, kid; don't be like that. So, ya lost a sparrin' match, what's the big deal?" Raven said, trying to lighten the mood and make it better, "It's just practice."

"The old man's right; it's just meant to train with each other in a way that doesn't risk killing someone," Yuri said, beginning to smile as Repede barked with agreement as he finished with this, "Look, I understand if you're angry at me because I beat you, but not everyone wins every match. So, don't take it to heart, okay?"

"No, it's not," Akihiro turned away, "I'm not mad at you; I'm mad at myself."

"Huh? What for?" Yuri said, blinked as he thought he had the kid figured out.

Suddenly, the teen turned around and his eyes flared with passion and fire, "Hello!? Do you not remember how badly you moped the floor with me!? I was too reckless and stupid; I let myself get caught in combos and attacks that I should've blocked and I used too many artes! I can't be champion after what you just did to me! That's why I gotta go get better!"

"Hey, hold on! You're being way too hard on yourself. Just because you lose one match doesn't mean you're not a good fighter. You did an great job fighting me, knocking me down and getting good hits in; honestly, you're better than a lot of other people I've taken on," Yuri tried to compliment him with a smile, but it faded as he could see the anger building in the teen.

"If I did a great job, I wouldn't have been unconscious on the ground after that arte you did, now would I!?" Akihiro yelled, clutching his fists.

…Dang, that was a really good point. Yuri honestly couldn't argue with that. But the boy was being way too aggressive and letting this get to him. He needed to calm him down before he got out of control.

"Hey, settle down now, bucko; no use gettin' riled up about this, ya hear?" Raven said smiling, "I'm sure ya'll get stronger as time goes on."

"Exactly! Which is why I'm going to train right now!" Akihiro turned and started running, "Tell the others I went ahead and they can catch me before Capua Nor!"

"Hey! What, are you trying to get yourself killed!?" Yuri tried to grab him when he started to run, but missed and yelled after him, "Come back!"

"Dammit," Raven cursed, Yuri looking back to see he had his bow ready, "Kid's so rambunctious, he ran off before we could give 'em any gels and he's outta my range for a Love Shot."

"Nice going, old man," Yuri sighed as he shook his head, but keeping his gaze on the teen.

"Me? Hey! I'm not the one who beat him so badly, he becam' upset and went into a berserk trainin' spree," Raven said, putting his weapon away and giving a humorous glare at the city man.

"But, you're the one who said he'll get stronger in time, which provoked him to go train now," Yuri gave a rebuttle, a comeback that made sense to him but not to anyone else.

Raven shook his head and held his face in his left hand, "Oh, sure, blame it on the old man; that always solves everythin' for Yuri Lowell, doesn't it?"

Getting a tired groan from Repede, Yuri sighed and looked at the teen running, "I guess I better go bring him back before he kills himself in a last-ditch effort to become powerful. Raven, can you let the others know where we are?"

"Yessir," Raven winked and saluted.

_"Rgh, he knows I hate it when he does that,"_ Yuri disgustingly thought in his head behind a pair of rolling eyes.

With that, Repede joined his side as they ran after the injuried teen, hoping he wouldn't do anything stupid to risk his life before they got there.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Raven left the party.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Stupid for power

Yuri: (neutral face)_ Ohh, man. I really hope Akihiro doesn't do anything stupid._

Repede: (looks to his left) _Awroo?_

Yuri: (head tilts to his right, carefree face) _I mean, I get his point; he feels like he's not strong enough yet, but I never acted that way all the times Flynn beat me at stuff. I just hope he's not stupid for power and has some common sense._

Repede: (neutral face) _*whine* …_

Yuri: (neutral face) _I know, Repede. We're going to find him, and he's going to be okay. He's a tough guy; he can hold on until we find him._

Repede: (barking upwards) _Woof!_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As the duo got out of the woods, it opened up to reveal the area before Capua Nor; a field with a huge raising on the left. It was where they back in their old journey went and searched for that Rhygbaro to help two parents from that Magistrate Ragou's unfair wrath. Looking around, they couldn't see the fired up teenager anywhere.

"Huh... he's faster than he looks," Yuri said, slightly impressed.

He looked down towards his dog and asked, "Repede, can you follow his scent?"

In response, the big boss of the animals began to sniff the ground and then looked towards their right. Suddenly, both saw him; Akihiro slashing at certain bandits who had attacked him.

"Come on! If we keep pressing the beat up brat, we'll get him and take his stuff!" one of them said.

"Like hell, you will!" Akihiro roared, slashing him down.

"What the...? Does this kid want a death wish!?" Yuri said, completely taken back at how stupid this kid was at throwing his safety away, and then shaking his head and throwing his sheathe away, took his sword and commanded, "All right, Repede, let's go bail him out!"

"Woof!"

Thus, the two strong warriors rushed over to the fight. By the time they got there, Akihiro had doubled over from a huge punch to the ribs and wasn't able to dodge an incoming sword towards his head.

"Hah! You're mine!" the bandit yelled as it came down.

Just then, a bigger sword clashed with his, causing the man to be shaken up and look at who he was stopped by. Yuri was in front of Akihiro who was still standing but huddled, holding his body as Repede got behind the boy and protected him there.

"Huh? The hell are you supposed to be!?" he yelled in anger.

Suddenly, another bandit started to walk away as he said fearfully, "W-Wait... that face... you're Yuri Lowell of Brave Vesperia...!"

Suddenly, all courage left the men as they all started to back off.

"I see you nitwits have some intelligence in those things you call skulls," Yuri threatened angrily, "Now beat it, before I really make you regret attacking one of our own."

With that, collective screams uttered out of bandit throats as the bridage ran away and out of sight in under ten seconds. After watching them go, Yuri began to turn around.

"Akio, I can't believe you! You honestly went picking a fi- ! Akio!"

He turned to the horror of Akihiro unconscious on the ground, blood appearing from underneath him on the grass. Repede whined as he grabbed his shirt sleeve and rolled him over. Apparently, the bandit did more than just punch Akihiro; he opened up a wound Yuri gave him back in their spar, located on the right ribcage.

"Damn it, I really went too hard on you..." Yuri said, regretfully as he knelt down to the boy's side and then looked up at Repede, "Repede, go back to the hill and get Estelle. If she's not there, get the old man. We need help healing him."

With a bark, he watched his dog use his lightning speed to hurry back towards where they came from. Placing his hands on the wound, he pressed hard, preventing any more blood from coming out. Looking at Akihiro's face, it looked sad and hurt. He closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Akio, for going too rough on you," he apologized, but then told him, "But you and I are going to have a long talk after you wake up."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\_  
_

Repede left the party.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Yikes! Not a great start for Akihiro and his time with the men! Losing to not only Yuri but a bunch of weak bandits! Will he survive this? (I hope so, because I need him for the story XD) And what will Yuri say to him once they get him healed? Find out next!


	20. Boss Battle: Zagi 1

Just a couple of Author notes before you read on:

1. If you've been reading the story so far, I bet you will be confused as to why the following boss battle has Secret Mission number 3 instead of 2. I went back to Secret Revealed (Chapter 15) and edited it so Cescoral was a boss battle and changed the title. So, that's one down.

2. I have a poll up now on my profile and I'd love for you to vote in it. Please give me any feedback as well, and in the next chapter, I'll give a spoiler on what I want to do in the future.

Now, back to the story...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Come on, Akihiro, wake up," Yuri said, using Guardian Field a few times to heal him and still the teen was looking in bad shape, "Darn it, why won't you wake up?"

It had been one minute exactly since Repede had gone back for someone with healing artes to help, but so far nothing. Although his loyal partner was awe-dazzling with his speed, Yuri couldn't expect him to just zap back and forth in a second. It needed time and since Yuri had at least a fairly okay healing arte, it was able to close the wounds up, but not give the significant amount of healing this person needed.

"Come on... work, dang it..." Yuri said, as he tried again after eating an orange gel.

Suddenly, he saw someone coming down the hill, and at first he was happy, but then it was complete let down as the person was revealed to be Tai running towards him. He perked up in surprise as the teen looked a bit disturbed. He soon came to a stop and was gasping for air.

"...Should I even begin to take a guess at what exactly happened?" Yuri asked, calming down.

"Try it."

"Rita?"

"Rita. Though, I gotta thank her; I'm no longer sore."

Yuri sighed as he shook his head, and was about to comment on how the mage needs to learn self-control, but then the younger man beat him to using his voice.

"Whoa, what the heck happened to him?" Tai pointed below Yuri to the unconscious Akihiro.

"Long story short, he got mad at himself that he lost to me in our sparring match," Yuri rubbed his neck, "He rushed out to train despite the huge injuries he got, and made a stupid mistake of challenging some bandits to a fight. They opened up his wounds, but luckily Repede and I had gotten over here and scared them off. I sent Repede back to get some help."

"Ahh, that's why he rushed by me a few seconds ago," Tai said, looking at the kid.

"Yep, but I got to hand it to Akio; the kid pushed me and made me work for that victory in the end," Yuri said, smiling and placing a hand on his hip, then looking at Tai, "Didn't Akio say you two were rivals now?"

"Yeah," the teen agreed.

"Then you better be prepared against him. The kid can put his money where his mouth is, so you better be ready for anything," Yuri warned, causing the other to really consider just how strong he was.

"Prepare to be have your name carved into my blade! YURI LOWELL!" a sudden deranged scream came from behind them.

Whirling around to see what was the reason for someone screaming at them, the two suddenly saw a man charging at Yuri with these pair of red knives/daggers. He swung them at him, barely missing the man's head when he ducked. He jumped back and readied his sword once more as Tai backed up shocked.

"What the..." Yuri yelled but suddenly went pale and cold as he realized who it was.

"Huh? Yuri, you okay? What's wrong?" Tai asked, getting a bit worried.

"It can't be... You're supposed to be dead..." Yuri said, his face wavering between absolute fear and rage as his widened eyes grew at the sight of a man wearing a strange deep red and green outfit, and with spiky pink, yellow, and dark green hair that spiked behind his head.

"Hahaha! Yuri! How long I have waited for this day to come!" he yelled.

"Zagi...!" Yuri gritted his teeth as he readied his weapon.

"Um, I think you lost me," Tai said, asking after looking back and forth between the two men, "Who the heck is this guy, how do you know him, and most importantly why is he attacking us?"

"He's a nut that attacked me and Estelle back in Zaphias. He mistook me for Flynn, but now I'm on his 'most wanted to kill' list," Yuri said, "We've fought many times, but back when we were going to defeat the Adephagos, he got in the way and I ended up killing him by slashing him through his arm and chest. At least, that's what I thought..."

"Oh, my, Yuri! How sad to think you had defeated me in such a worthless fashion! I'd never disappoint my greatest enemy!" Zagi laughed and dropped into a battle stance.

"I cut you down and you fell from nearly the tallest point of Tarqaron; How on earth does a normal person survive that!?" Yuri yelled back.

"Wait, he fell from that huge tower in the sky those months ago?" Tai said, glaring at the man in such awe.

"Details, details! All I know is I'm back, baby! And now that I'm restored to full health and my arm is no longer a blastia, you're gonna feel my wrath! YURI!" he shrieked in excitement.

Yuri, unable to know what it is to fight a dead man, looked to Tai and ordered, "Tai, I need you to take Akio and get out of here! Go get help from the others!"

"And leave you alone to fight this undead guy? You freaking nuts, man?" Tai said, as he glared at him; he knew Yuri was a caring guy, but this was plain stupid and just asking to die alone.

Yuri shook his head and argued, "Tai, I get your concern, but-"

"Don't... count me out yet..."

All looked to see a tired and sore Akihiro get up and drop into his stance.

"Hey! Don't try to be a hero if you can't!" Yuri said, about to try and force him to sit down, "First against me, then the bandits, and now here? Akihiro, you're going to get killed by risking your body like that!"

"Oho, what's wrong?" Zagi taunted, "The great Yuri Lowell getting soft? Maybe I should remind you how we used to fight!"

With that, Zagi charged at the trio as Tai yelled, "Heads-up!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Tai joined the party.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Info:

_**Akihiro will be unable to use artes in this battle, but can still fight.**_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

With a lunge, Zagi laughed as he tried to stab at the injured boy. Yuri, having no other method at the time, side-stepped into Akihiro, knocking him off his feet and sending him rolling a bit. As the boy panted and struggled to get up, Zagi clashed blades with him and grinned insanely at him.

"Wa-ha-ha-HAAAA!" he couldn't help laugh in his face.

"Urgh, you bastard!" he grunted, "The hell is wrong with you? Why couldn't you just stay dead!"

With that, Yuri took a step back and tried to slash at Zagi, but the insane fighter rolled to his left and came at him.

"Aww! It wasn't enough that you had to save your little world from going bye-bye, but you want me dead, huh?" Zagi taunted as he slashed at him, missing a few times.

"The hell is up with this guy's mind?" Tai said to himself as he rushed over to help Yuri.

Taking his bat, he took both hands and tried to come down onto Zagi's head. But a sudden kick to his stomach send Tai stepping back and bending down to hold it. The insane one turning around, he swung at the teen's head, but luckily, Tai was able to let his body just fall to the ground and miss. This allowed Yuri to come behind him and use an arte.

"Cerberus Strike!" he yelled as a few good punches landed against the man.

Yelping a bit in pain, Zagi was able to stop the last punch and sweep Yuri off his feet, so he could backflip and get some distance. Both getting to their feet, they saw as Zagi then ran towards them again.

"You got to be careful, Tai! This nutjob is faster than he looks!" Yuri warned him.

With a nod, Tai came at coming into contact with Zagi by launching a fist at him. The man not expecting it was drilled into the face with it, as Tai suddenly did a move that Yuri thought was pretty impressive.

"Sweeping Fly!"

Tai dropped to a crouched position and swept Zagi off his feet. Before he could land, the teen prepared a jump as he did sort of a jumping back flip straight up. It launched Zagi into the air with a grunt, as Tai came down first and landed. Yuri took this opportunity to rush in as the enemy came down and hit Zagi with a few strikes, juggling him in the air. But before he could try with an arte, Zagi placed a foot on his sword and pushed off, causing Yuri to stumble back and him to get distance. But as he landed, that's when a shocker came.

"Rrragh!"

A tired battle cry came and Zagi looked back surprised to see Akihiro taking a huge swing at him. The assassin got out of the way easily, causing the boy to stumble on his feet and fall facefirst. He panted as he stood up and the others got in front of him.

"Darn it...! I barely missed him!" he groaned.

"Damn it, do I have to literally knock you out so you don't get yourself killed!?" Yuri said, a bit in denial of seeing the teen still being able to fight.

"I... I'm not gonna let this guy... hurt you..." Akihiro panted as he dropped to a knee slightly.

"... There's no point in talking against you now, If you're so stubborn on fighting with us, then only take shots at this guy when he's open like you just did," Yuri finally said, Akihiro nodding, "but only with us near, got it?"

"Hm? Changed your mind?" Tai looked, a bit neutral expression on his face.

"As much as I don't want Akio to be fighting, three against Zagi is much better than two. He's good at separating us and trying to take us down one at a time, but with a trio, he can't do it," Yuri explained.

"Got it," Tai nodded, as the other boy grunted and glared at the incoming enemy.

"Wa-ha-ha-ha-HAAAA! That's it! Now I feel truly alive again!" he shrieked as he came at them one more time.

To save time, basically they fought for a long time and none could seem to get a blow in. Tons of strikes were thrown and shot at each other, but none seemed to land any kind of deciding blow at all. But soon it came down to the critical moment that won victory. It all happened after this...

"Hyah!" Akihiro saw an opening and tried to strike at Zagi.

But the assassin grinned as he tripped him and caused him to fall on his face. Yuri and Tai gasped and began rushing towards him as the man came at the fallen comrade, lifting his weapons at him.

"DIE!" he screamed... only to be stopped by a pair of demonic black and green hands sticking out of the ground.

It caused the weapons to be knocked out of Zagi's hands and go flying away a bit. He grunted and twirled to see that Tai had used his Darkness Hands arte to trap him. Giving enough time for him, Tai watched Akihiro barely roll out of the way as Yuri rushed at him.

"Let's finish this!" he said, as he yelled, "I'll blow you away!"

Suddenly, a huge burst of energy came from the fighter and he glowed pink. The teens were shocked at this ability as Yuri took advantage and rushed at the man. He gripped his sword and then after Tai let go of him, disappeared right behind Zagi with a slash.

"O brilliant blade of coldest steel..."

Suddenly, he appeared again and slashed three more times.

"rend the infinite darkness..."

Five times.

"and crush my enemies to nothing!"

Suddenly, it was like a huge vanishing act; everytime they spotted Yuri, he'd disappear, but every time he did more and more damage to Zagi. In a flash, Yuri came in front, in a motion that showed him finishing a cut, he then swung his sword down to his side.

"Savage Wolf Fury!"

Then, Zagi was slashed in a huge blue cut line and laughed, cut off by a strangled grunt of pain. He dropped to the ground and fell defeated.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**_Great!_**

**_Secret Mission 3: Used a mystic arte to finish Zagi off after knocking his weapons out of his hands._**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Wh... Whoa..." Tai said, completely amazed at what he just saw.

Akihiro slowly began to grin as he relaxed in the grass and chuckled. Clutching his fists, he felt so honored that he took Yuri on. He definitely needed to train now so he could accomplish defeating him and Tai.

But Yuri wasn't paying attention to them; he was melancholy yet serious looking as he walked over to the limp body of Zagi. The man was panting and in pain as he opened his eyes and smirked at him.

"Ha... Hahah... that was great... I forgot how fun it was to fight you... but maybe I should've kept a hold onto my blastia arm..." he chuckled and said contently, "What do you think, Yuri?"

"I don't care about someone like you, who's this crazy," Yuri said darkly.

Taking his sword out and readying the tip of his sword at his neck, he continued, "You were supposed to die back at Tarqaron, but you were foolish enough to come after me again. You've just forfeited your life in my hands, and now... I'm sending you back to hell."

With that, he then raised the sword in a fast motion and came down, killing him by decapitating his head off. At least, that was his plan. But then again, the heroes' plans don't always go right at the beginning...

CLANG!

"! What the!?"

"I'm afraid I must apologize to you, Mr. Yuri Lowell, but I cannot abide in the shadows and let you kill my puppet any longer. At least, not yet..."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Whoa, Akihiro still has game! But more importantly, who the heck is that stopping Yuri from putting back Zagi in the grave? And also, did I do good with Zagi? Did I make him right in this story? Please, more reviews and feedback! And tell me what you think of this story! Thank you, and keep reading!


	21. The plot goes on with Capua Nor

A/N: To be honest, this is a writer's conviction I have about Tales of Vesperia. I really hated how whether when he was under Alexei or with Brave Vesperia, Raven just seemed to be another tool. I mean, he was forced into blackmail after he was brought back to life, forced to live under the Don and Alexei at the same time, forced to do all these horrible stuff like Estelle's kidnapping, and even when he tries to redeem himself by almost having Baction's inner part crush him to death, he comes back only to get beaten up and told his life belongs to Brave Vesperia, like he's not even a human anymore. Yet, no matter what happened before and after, no matter how many times he was mocked and trashed and stepped on, he always was loyal to the group.

It's funny, how Brave Vesperia (especially Yuri) claims they do justice and punish the unjust, but it's really an injustice how they treat Raven like he's just some thing... Sorry if I went fanboy there (XD), but after reading "Tales of the Campfire" by SalazarFalcon (which is in my favorite stories list; go check that story and writer out), I decided I'm gonna make Raven have the best future possible and reclaim his glory as a man... with help of Tai of course. :3

Now... let's continue...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Yuri looked up to see a Kunai in the hand of a female as he glared up to her eye level. It had clashed with the sword he held, preventing him from taking Zagi's life. He tried to get a good glimpse of the woman who stopped him as he was about to try to get her to move.

"Puppet...? What are y-"

Before Yuri could finish his sentence, the woman roared and did a gigantic backflip. Her feet caught underneath his chin and onto his chest. Hitting his head upwards, she then forced him back away, Yuri skidding against the ground as his sword was flung out of his hand and landed near Akihiro.

"Yuri!" he yelled, finally able to stand.

Tai said nothing, but stepped in front of the two and looked at the woman. Once he got up, Yuri growled a bit and looked at the attacker. It was a woman who looked fairly old, even older than Raven. She was pretty tall and good looking for her age. Her shiny white hair was long and dropped over the sides of her face in bangs, but exploded in a wide and bushy hair band, with ties on it that had a few bells. Her clothing was a tanktop vest that was black that revealed a red metallic shirt that appropriately covered her chest. She wore this black battle skirt/shorts which were tight and ended on her knees that had some spiky design on them. She wore these red battle shoes that showed her toes and heels, but the left one went to her knee for it had a blade sheathed into it. Her black fingerless gloves had metal studes on them and the palms of her hands were visible. But her face was shielded with a mask; one that was pitch black yet looked like a tiger's face in red and orange markings.

"It serves him on for talking so much that he gave me an opening to save my puppet. If you're going to kill somebody, kill them; don't stand around talking about it," the woman said.

And if it wasn't just their incredible timing, Repede soon came back with everybody else. The group came running towards the trio and stood with them, facing this new woman.

"Yuri, are you alright!?" Flynn said, helping Yuri to his feet, as suddenly the others realized what the commotion was.

"Z-Zagi!?" Estelle said aloud, disturbed.

"No way... He's supposed to have died back at Tarqaron!" Rita said, equally upset.

"Then who is she?" Flynn said, stepping in front of Tai as the leader and demanding, "I am Flynn Scifo, commandant of the imperial knights! By his highness Ioder's name, I order you to identify yourself!"

"I do not need to listen to foolish brats telling me what to do," the woman said coldly, shutting Flynn down before he could even speak, "If I feel you're worthy enough, then I'll let my name slip. But for now, no commandant is worthy enough to talk down to me."

"Heh, what is it with you evil types, always thinking you're better than everyone else and acting holier than thou? Do you really think you're strong enough to stop Brave Vesperia and the imperial knights alone?" Yuri said confidently with a dark glare.

"Says the child in which my feet kicked back like a stone," the woman said as if she was smiling, turning Yuri's face even more sour, "and if you keep talking now, it'll soon be under my heel."

She looked at her puppet Zagi and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, all the damages that he had received were healed and the man jumped to his feet. He soon grinned and laughed.

"Oho... the pain's gone... oh, this was totally worth coming back for," he said loudly as he walked away and grabbed his weapons.

"We'll be taking our leave now," the woman said, turning her back to the heroes and began walking.

"Hey! Hold it! You think I'm just going to let you go?" Yuri said, attempting to run, but suddenly an arm caught him, revealing to be Flynn, shaking his head.

"You really should be listening to your best friend a lot more, Yuri Lowell; such a unbelievable disappointment. I come unleashing my puppet and all I got was a pathetic match out of it. I see I must strengthen Zagi even more to defeat low life children such as yourselves," she said, "I hope we don't meet again, or else it's the last thing you'll even see..."

"Just wait, Yuri... Flynn... I will carve your names into my body after I slice you to pieces!" Zagi yelled, as the woman made this purple glowing wormhole with her hands, and the two walked through it, only to disappear away.

In a bit of anger from being unable to return the favor of that kick he was given, Yuri yanked his arms free of Flynn's grasp and whirled around to face the knight, "What are you doing, Flynn? We could've stopped them and finished them off!"

"You know that we have an injured man, Yuri," Flynn said, looking down at Akihiro getting healed up by Estelle, "Were you not a few minutes ago trying to help him and worry for his well-being?"

Yuri sighed, and finally letting it go, nodded, "You're right. I wasn't thinking; sorry."

"Hold on, Akihiro," Estelle said, casting some healing artes onto him, "There. That should be enough for now."

Suddenly, the group backed up for the boy to jump to his feet and grin confidently. Jumping a bit and stretching out, Akihiro laughed and turned to the princess.

"Thanks, Estelle! I feel so much better now!" Akihiro said, getting his weapons ready, "Now I got-"

"Hold... IT," Yuri said, getting a twitch in his eye, "You're not going training. That's what got you into this mess in the first place. We're going to Capua Nor, and you're coming too."

"RRRRGH, fine," Akihiro groaned, folding his arms in a pout.

"Ahhh, youth," Raven said, admiring it from afar, "Man, just seein' these kids go out and doin' these battles makes me longin' for the days where ol' Raven was lil' Raven..."

"Not again with the daydreaming, old man..." Yuri groaned, rolling his eyes.

"It's a times like this I'd like to stab my ear drums with a fork," Rita taunted along.

"Hey, an old guy can dream, can't he?" Raven said, whining a bit, unknowing that Tai was started to get a bit upset.

"Woof woof!" Repede barked a few times, for Yuri to smirk and turned a grin to the old man.

"Repede's making fun of you, old man," Yuri translated for his dog's insults, "He says you whine more than a toddler throwing a tantrum. Haven't you got dignity?"

"Oh please, the old man not whining? That's not even logically possible," Rita folded her arms and grinned, as Repede barked a few more times while Raven made an upset face.

"Oho, that's mean," Yuri chuckled and began to say to Raven, "Hey, old man, Repede sa-"

His sentence was cut short and the three stopped in their taunting as suddenly, a familiar hooded teen stopped in front of the old man with shadows covering his eyes. He was tired, tired of their insults and down right disrespect for this man. He didn't know why they treated him like this; maybe he'd find out down the road of this journey, but for now, it wasn't continuing on his watch. Raven couldn't help but smile in thankfulness at the teen.

The group momentarily was stunned as he spoke, "Can you three just knock it off with the childish insults? I think we have more important things to worry about than making fun of the old man."

"Oh, really? Like what?" Rita said, folding her arms as she glared with narrow angry eyes, kind of mad that he ruined their part-time enjoyment.

"Like, how one of your longtime enemies is apparently back from the grave," Tai said, giving her a hell of a good reason.

"Yeah, you said you killed him... right, Yuri?" Akihiro said, raising an eyebrow at the man.

"Of course I did. I was the one who put him away and sent him falling to his death," Yuri said, a bit taken back that the kid would doubt him.

"Then, anyone care to give a gander on why yer over-obsessed crazy fan is runnin' about and wantin' payback?" Raven said, resting his head in his hands.

"It's so scary... Maybe he's really dead, and he's come back from the grave!" Estelle said, in total fear of what she said being true.

"Wh-What!? No...! That can't be! He must've survived that fall someone! Maybe he stopped himself and was able to escape before we noticed," Rita said, trying to sound realistic and logical.

"Whether he's dead or survived it," Flynn said, cupping his chin in his hands and thinking aloud, "I'm very interested in who that woman was."

"She's gotta be really strong if she just blew the commandant of the imperial knights off like that," Tai said, looking away and up to the sky, "No one would say that if they had some doubt of themselves."

"Strong's not the word I'd use," Rita commented on what he said, "More like cocky and arrogant. Who the hell does she think she is?"

"Ya think she might have to do with Zagi in any shape?" Raven asked them all.

"She has to. Before she left, she said she needs to power him up more to he can beat us," Yuri said, picking up his sword and sheathe, "But I'll just crush him again. I'm gonna get rid of that nut once and for all."

A victory howl coming from Repede, the group soon recollected themselves and headed towards the port city.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Flynn, Estelle, Rita, Repede, and Raven joined the party.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Stand up for yourself

Tai: (grumpy face, eyes closed) _…_

Raven: (head tilts to the right, eyes shorten, curious face) _What's the matter, Tai? Ya doin' okay?_

Tai: _How..._

Raven: _Huh?_

Tai: _How can you just let them say those things to you? _(opens eyes)_ Raven, that wasn't simple teasing remarks; it was just like spitting into your face._

Raven: (looks up to the right, thinking face) _Aw, com' on, Tai. Don't let them get to ya. It happens all the time. Don't get ol' Raven wrong; appreciate it when ya stand up for-_

Tai: _No, Raven, it's not fine!_ (Raven turns head to his left, slight blush, scared/shocked face) _You're just treated like some jerkbag; Estelle was right. They do treat you like scum..._

Raven: _Whoa, hey! Easy there!_ (head tilts to the right, eyes shorten, curious face) _Tai... to be honest, I kinda deserve it. If ya only knew what happened during our travels..._

Tai:_ I don't care, Raven. Everyone makes mistakes; you're a human being with a mind and intelligence. You may not be the smartest, but even you have the right to stand up for yourself._

Raven: (closes eyes) _…_

Tai: (neutral face) _Okay?_

Raven: (neutral face, opens eyes) _Okay. Maybe it is time to start defendin' what little pride I got left..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – What they meant

Flynn: (neutral face, eyes closed) _Hmmm..._

Estelle: (looks surprised) _Flynn?_

Yuri: (neutral face) _What is it, Flynn?_

Flynn: (opens eyes) _Oh, it's... just something I've been thinking about. It's about Cescoral and that woman we just encountered. It's something they both said to you, Yuri._

Yuri: _Oh yeah? What was it?_

Flynn: (looks to his upper left, cups chin in hand, thinking face) _It's just when you tried to get Cescoral to fight you, Raven encouraged you to stop and he said you should listen to him. The same thing happened with this woman when I told you to stop as well._

Yuri: (Yuri leans his head to his left, incredulous face) _Are you sure you're not just making stuff up to make me look like I'm being "reckless"?_

Estelle: (looks down, sad) _No, Yuri, I think you're missing the point._

Flynn: (neutral face) _Not at all; I'm just thinking about if this has anything in connection... Hmm, I have nothing._

Yuri: _Yeah, I thought so..._(closes eyes)

Flynn: (looks down, pained expression, closes eyes) _…_

Estelle: _For two very close friends, Yuri and Flynn definitely get into many scuffles with each other..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As the group walked into the city, it was beautiful and clear. Unlike the dark gloomy rain that set in before, it was much nicer and wasn't under a certain tyranny of a man named Ragou. It burned him though; just seeing a multitude of people around started to feel like his skin was melting.

"Ohhh... not another city..." Tai groaned.

The group turned to look at him as Yuri asked, "What's a matter? You sick or something?"

Rita folded her arms unimpressed at the teen and scoffed, "Don't tell me you have a fear of people, freak."

"Well... that's one way of putting it..." he groaned uncomfortably.

Yuri and Rita both looked shocked at his statement as Flynn asked, "Is it really true, Tai? Are you uncomfortable with large places?"

All he got was a painful sigh. The boy buried himself under his hood, as Raven and Estelle knew exactly what to do.

"The silence should be taken as a 'yes', commandant," Raven said, picking at his ear, "Maybe ya should get a inn room quickly, so Tai doesn't have to be outside much, 'kay?"

"Very well. I will see to it that I can arrange a room immediately; then, we shall talk about what has happened so far," Flynn said, nodding as he began walking off to the inn of Capua Nor.

"And after that, you and I are having a chat about your behavior with that stupid rush into battles, Akio," Yuri said, giving a serious look at the boy.

"You're not my mom, Yuri," Akihiro snapped, "And the name's Akihiro, not Akio!"

Walking past the man, the boy hurried off in a grumble, leaving Yuri to slightly smile and shook his head. Awarded with a same emotion groan from Repede, all of them began walking towards the inn. Rita joined for a brief second, but as an alley came in her view, she ducked into it. Her researcher in her activating, or "bookworm" as Tai or Yuri would put it, she looked over to see Estelle and the old man with her target. She knew from the moment of the battle that those two more about the glove then they were letting on.

"Don't worry, Tai; I'm sure we can find some place here that's quiet," Estelle encouraged with a brief smile.

"Please hurry..." Tai groaned.

"Ahh, ol' Raven has the place," the old man said with a grin, "We can hang out at the bridge, kiddo. Not a lot of folks are up there."

"Oh, good! I'll go with the others for now," the princess said, waving to them.

With that, Rita watched the two idiots walk up the bridge as Estelle came close. As the princess ran right near her, she grabbed her arm and gently pulled her into the same alley/cover she had from the men. A bit shocked, the princess tried to speak.

"Huh? Rita, what are yo-"

Cuffing her mouth silent, Rita signaled with a finger to keep it down as she looked back, "Be quiet, Estelle. I want to see something."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"That freak thinks he can keep whatever secret from me? I'm going undercover and seeing what kind of things slip. If I can't confront him from up close, then I'll get what I want from the shadows!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\

You just know whatever Rita is scheming is not gonna be pretty, but then again, Tai has been known to foil it so far. What will happened next? And are ready to see some familiar faces, from both game and movie!? :3 Keep reading!


	22. Aiheap twins and the Wandering Saint

"Rita...! It's not polite to just spy on people..." Estelle tried to encourage her friend to reconsider, but most likely as she thought, it would fall on deaf ears.

"We've done it numerous times before with the others. What, you afraid I'll hurt the freak and the old man's feelings?" Rita said, giving her a pressing glare.

"Look... Tai's not really good with crowds; he's sort of mentally unstable when it comes to large people... the last time he was in a city, it went wrong," Estelle tried to explain, causing Rita to really wonder about him, "The last thing he needs is people spying on him."

"Estelle, normally I would back down, but... I don't trust Tai," the mage folded her arms with suspicious mannerisms, "He may be able to be social and okay talking, but the way he constantly acts and feels about everyone besides the old man... and how he absolutely refuses anyone to get near that glove, especially a blastia researcher like me to look at it, means that glove could hold dangerous ideas in his head."

"...Okay, fine, I'm going with you, but only to spy, not fight. Okay?" Estelle comprimised reluctantly.

With a silent nod, both girls rushed over to the billboard, which once had a warrant out for Yuri's arrest long time ago, and hid behind it. The bushes giving their legs cover, the girls crept their heads over the side to one side and looked over. It seemed like nothing was really happening; just Raven relaxing and looking up at the sky, while Tai was hunched over against the side of the bridge that connected the magistrate palace and the rest of the city.

"Ahh, what a beautiful day, eh, Tai?" Raven said, trying to cheer Tai up, "Ya know, it's days like this that ol' Raven could fine a gorgeous lady and go swimmin' with her."

A exhausted chuckle coming from the teen, it was quite clear it wasn't doing much good, yet it did spark a conversation that the girls never thought they would hear.

"Hey, Raven?"

"Yessir?"

"Remember that talk we had... about how you asked why I feel you're different from the others," Tai said, looking up, "Maybe I know why now."

"Yah? Well, then, lay it out on ol' Raven. What do ya think it is?" Raven looked over as he walked closer to him.

"Maybe it's because we both were mistreated about how we acted and were, you know what I mean? I mean... you know, right?" Tai struggled to say again.

"Hmmm, so what you're sayin' is, that because of how people treated ya because of your glove and how ya act, ya feel ya have a connection with me, right?" Raven said, getting a bit of a shifty look.

"Yeah... maybe that," Tai remarked bluntly.

"No, no, that can't be," the old man shook his head and used both hands to wave it off.

"Huh? Why's that?" Tai pushed off the safety handle of the bridge and faced him.

"Kid, I'm going to be frank with you, and being serious for once," Raven said, looking him deeply in the eye and letting Schwann come out for a second, "You are nothing like me. I don't mean that in a horrible and nasty way; I mean that as you do not want to associate your status as a person like me. I've done horrible things, Tai; rotten, hurtful, and betrayal. Things I'm still paying for, and to be honest, things I will never be able to."

This suddenly burst of seriousness coming out of Raven shocked the girls. After all, Raven was goofy, stupid, always cracking jokes, always about the ladies; never had they seen this part of him as Raven. They kept watching in awe as the two men kept talking.

"What things? Tell me," Tai said, pushing his way in, "I want to know what you're talking about. And you better start, or else, any attempts in the future of me opening up are gone."

Seeing the resolve of this teenager luring the pain out, Raven sighed, making his old classic 'old man can't believe this is happening' face, and reverted to his old self. He turned around, looking up into the sky and began.

"Heh, ya drive a hard bargain, pal. Well, I ain't gonna dive into everythin' in one fall swoop, but... I'm guessin' little Estelle told ya my previous identity is General Schwann, right?" he asked, and continuing once a comfirmed nod was given, "Well, skippin' some parts that are too hard ta explain right now, I was forced into blackmail by the previous commandant Alexei."

"Wait, that guy with the long gray hair?" Tai said, rubbing his head, "He visited Halure last year just to see the tree in bloom."

"Well, he was a bad guy, Tai," the teen was shocked to hear, "He forced me to kidnap Estelle... and I did horrible things to her and the group."

Estelle and Rita both closed their eyes, a mixture of pain and anger. They remembered what happened and how Raven was forced to fight the group to stall for time, how his life was owned by Brave Vesperia, and how Estelle was just some toy Alexei used. They watched as the teen slowly nodded.

"All right, I get it; you did some shit back in your time," Tai replied, folding his arms, "but that doesn't mean you should just let those guys trample on your honor."

"Tai, it was a lot worse than ya think," Raven turned to face him with a gentle smile.

"Then... tell me about it later, okay?" Tai said, slightly smiling back.

"Sure thing, kiddo, and we can talk about the other stuff as well," the old man grinning and held his head with his hands, "Anyways, ya feelin' better now? Ol' Raven could use a bed to relax these old bones."

"Hahaha! Sure thing," Tai said, nodding as they both started heading back to the inn.

Watching the two come over, Rita folded her arms disappointingly and said with an incredulous face, "Okay, that was a waste of time. I spy on them for Tai's secrets, and I get manly bonding?"

"Hehe, well, that's the price you pay for being sneaky, Rita," Estelle giggled, causing her friend to grumble with a blush.

As the men came over, they suddenly noticed the girls near the bulletin board. Suddenly surprised and looking at each other with fear of being found out, they struggled to find an excuse as they were approached.

"Now, now, ya two, what are the genius mage and the princess doin' in a place like this?" Raven asked, with a sly grin.

"Why is it your business on what we do, old man?" Rita snapped, partially blushing at being found out.

"We were looking at the board to see if any knowledge or tips of those blastia thieves were nearby," Estelle said, no stuttering or doubt in her voice.

"Yeah, that's right!" Rita said, clenched her fist up in agreement.

"Okay, what have you found?" Tai asked, tilting his head at them.

"Nothing so far," Estelle said, shaking her head, then changing the topic, "I wonder how the others are doing."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"All right, I have our rooms set up for the night. Now, all that's left is to find the knights that I need to find for my brigade," Flynn said, softly as he walked over to the other two and the dog waiting for them.

"So, who exactly are these two knights you're trying to get, Flynn?" Yuri asked, placing a hand on his hip.

"They're old friends of ours, Yuri; Hisca and Chastel," Flynn said with a cheerful grin.

Suddenly, Yuri and Repede's faces lighten up with excitement as the man exclaimed, "No way! They're actually here?"

"Woof woof WOOF!" Repede barked loudly.

"Yeah, I know, Repede," Yuri grinned looking down to his partner, "I can't wait to be able to see their faces again! It's been so long."

Poor Akihiro's face was riddled with loneliness and confusion as he stood and watched them talk about these two knights. Soon, the trio looked at him and forgot that he was apart of their group. Flynn took the liberty of saving him any more discomfort.

"Oh, Akihiro; my apologies for leaving you out of this conversation like that. To explain, Hisca and Chastel were knights in the same brigade as Yuri and myself when we first started," he said.

"Wait, Yuri was a KNIGHT?" Akihiro made a scrunched-up, disbelieving face at the long haired man, who sighed and shook his head with annoyance.

Ignoring the laughter that came out of Flynn, he said, "I still don't understand why people have a hard time believing that. Is it seriously that difficult for everybody?"

Despite the great opening to burn him with that huge open range for comebacks, the commandant continued, "Anyways, they were great friends of ours who traveled and fought with us. So, I thought since we are familiar with the two knights, we could get their help."

After about a few minutes, they soon saw a pair of twins walking towards them. Both with the usual knight garb, but it was deeper blue than the Flynn Brigade uniform. Both with red hair in ponytail and yellow eyes, they had red laces tied around their necks. Despite the fact one of them had bigger... of a chest size than the other, the two were barely able to be told apart.

"There they are," Yuri said, grinning a bit as he watched them come over, "Man, Hisca and Chastel look exactly the same as last time I saw 'em."

"Huh? But which one is who? I can't tell which twin is which," Akihiro said tilting his head.

A sudden blush came over Flynn's face as he muttered quickly to the boy before the twins came over, "The one with the bigger chest is Chastel, okay? Just... don't mention that about them at all, understood?"

Stifling giggles from Yuri and an awkward look yet soon joining the giggles from Akihiro, the women came over and stood in front of them.

"Flynn! Yuri!" Chastel squealed as she ran forward and hugged them tightly, "It's been soooo long! I'm so happy to see you!"

Seeing Repede bark to her, she bent down and scratched under his chin, causing the dog to smile FOR JUST A TINY SECOND and said, "Aww, I've missed you as well, Repede."

"Chastel!" Hisca called out loud, causing her sister to suddenly realize what she was doing, "You are speaking to the commandant; show protocol manners and respect!"

"Oh, right!" Chastel said, hurrying back in nervousness of being yelled at (making Yuri snicker a bit) and walking back to her sister, both saluted.

"Lieutenants Hisca and Chastel Aiheap reporting to your command, Commandant Scifo," Hisca said in a strict tone.

"At ease, my friends," Flynn said, smiling as he nodded, "It's perfectly fine to talk to me casually. You are some of my greatest friends after all."

Chastel smiled and gave a silly smile to her sister, "I told you he wouldn't mind it, sis."

Hisca snorted in anger, and folding her arms, looked away, "Well, excuse me for following standard knight protocol!"

After all the introductions were done...

"Heh, it's been a long time, you guys," Yuri said, winking at the two, "How have you been taken care of yourselves?"

"Oh, it's been the same. Go around the empire's continent, and 'pile up good deeds' as you put it," Hisca said, lightening up but smiling back at Yuri, knowing he was probably up to the same old antics he pulled in the past, "It's been very busy of late, especially here in Nor Harbor."

"I assume everything is okay here, then?" Flynn questioned.

"Yes, it's been rather boring, sir; no kind of trouble so far here," the woman replied.

"But there has been a pretty big handful of help from that saint, hasn't there, sis?" her sister asked and looked over to her.

"Whoa, wait, huh? Saint?" Yuri asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, right! You haven't been here for a while, you two," Hisca explained, "Apparently, there's this person going around different parts of the continent and stopping bandits and criminals from harming innocent people. Capua Nor has been calling him 'the Wandering Saint'."

"Wandering Saint, huh? Haven't heard of this man. How about you, Yuri?" the commandant shrugged and looked over to his best friend.

"I've heard only a few tales of him back at the lower quarter, but I don't really travel that much outside the capital anymore to hear too much about him. Whenever the captain and Judith pick me and Repede up to do guild jobs, we usually just go to Dhangrest," Yuri answered, looking back at the twins.

"Anyway, this saint person apparently refuses any kind of rewards, except a few food and drink items. Besides that, nobody really knows who he is, other than what he looks like," Hisca kept explaining.

"Really? You have a description of this man?" Flynn asked, all getting interested.

Chastel nodded and pulled out a piece of paper from her skirt pocket. She unraveled it and looked at it as she spoke.

"According to all the witness descriptions we could get," she read, "He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt and black loose trousers. He had mid-lengthish hair that was dark brown and spiky, with a fringe. His eyes were chestnut-brown and he was apparently just a teenager."

Being left out of the conversation for oh so terribly long, Akihiro suddenly popped up with his hand raised (like a kid from school would do to get permission to speak), and said, "Hey! Wait a minute!"

"Akio, what's up?" Yuri looked over and let him, all eyes on the boy.

"Akihiro," he grumbled back and then said, "I've seen a boy with that description... I think."

"Really?" Hisca asked, walking in front of him, "Can you tell us more?"

"Yeah, it was about a month and a half ago at Ehmead Hill," Akihiro closed his eyes, gritting his teeth a bit as he tried to jog his memory, "I live there, but that doesn't mean I don't go to Halure and Nor Harbor for some company. But one day, I remember this kid with that same clothing walking by the path after the broken blastia was cleared off."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Flynn asked, trying to get comfirmation.

"Yeah, I think so. I would've noticed if he came back and went towards Halure, but he never returned back," the boy opened his eyes and looked at him, answering to the best of his ability.

"Huh... I'd like to meet this 'Wandering Saint' guy, now," Yuri said, smiling as he maybe, just maybe would love to talk about getting this guy with Brave Vesperia.

"That's just it, though, Yuri," Hisca explained, "This 'Wandering Saint' only shows up where there's trouble or if he senses a villian nearby. Meaning, he'll only come out to protect peace and innocent civilians."

"I wonder when his next appearance will be..." Chastel said, wondering to herself aloud.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The other four were coming away from the billboard and toward the inn as they all stopped and looked around. There didn't seem to be anything in sight of any of their four friends, so they kept looking.

"Now where did they run off to?" Rita complained, as she tapped the ground impatiently with her foot.

"Now, now, Rita, remember yer blood pressure..." Raven said, trying to calm the angry beast.

"Don't tell me what to do, you old fart!" she snapped back, "It's not my fault that those idiots decided to ditch us and probably go fighting off some super bad monster or something dumb like that."

"Oh, come on, Rita. I'm sure they're around her somewhere..." Estelle said, trying to sound optimistic as she always was.

They kept searching, but all they saw were people that weren't them. That was all he needed. That one had dropped his guard, and he knew that this was the chance to take advantage of it. He waited for him to get closer, as he readied his two swords. Once Tai had gotten closer, he rushed out of the alleyway and ran towards him. The teen looking over and widening his eyes at the impact of what the attacker was about to do, he readied to dodge. Suddenly yanked into the alleyway, Tai had no choice but to go to the defensive.

The sword were swung close to each other, forcing Tai to duck. Waiting for him to attack again, he was thankful this attacker tried to stab the ground. It gave the teen a chance to roll backwards and get distance to look at his predator.

He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt under an open, dark blue coat which reached half-way down his thighs, and black loose trousers. He had mid-lengthish hair that was dark brown and spiky, with a fringe which was spiky too and was slightly diagonal towards his right eye. His eyes were chestnut-brown and he was apparently just a teenager.

"What the... Who are you and what beef do you got with me?" Tai asked, looking at the teen.

"I don't have to speak with a villian like you! Prepare yourself!" the boy yelled as he rushed at Tai with his swords ready to attack!

/\/\/\/\/\/\

How's that!? Hisca and Chastel from the Tales of Vesperia movie: First Strike. I hope I did a good job on trying to capture the two perfectly enough. I wanted to see if I could get them just right. But wait a minute... this Wandering Saint... He's not one of my OCS... it means... someone has gotten their man into my story and we're partners for a future idea. I won't tell you who that pen name is... until next chapter. But a hint... he's an writer who is in my favorites list... NOW KEEP READING!


	23. Dayren's mistake and Hi, Patty!

A/N: Now, I want to go on to say that you please read the bottom part after this specific chapter. It contains info on this character who is not mine and a possible hinting at a future project. Now, let's keep going! ^^

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

_"This kid is amazing...!"_ Tai thought as he kept dodging his attacks, but pulling out his bat and clashing with a few attacks.

Whoever this guy was, he was amazingly skilled with these two swords of his. The constant swings of this kid was amazingly timed, not letting him get a chance to go on the offensive. But instead, it let this teen get more shots at Tai, forcing him to constantly dodge. However, since the boy's physical appearance tricked him, he was unable to get the hooded teen at all with any strikes, despite the few clashes they did.

"Hold still!" he yelled as he forced Tai down towards some stacked crates.

"Hold still? While you're trying to cut me? You ever heard of the word 'please'?" Tai asked in disbelief.

Stopping for a brief second, the teen pondered and bit, before charging and yelling, "You're right... Please hold still!"

Swinging a few times, he missed as his target responded, "The hell, man? Do you not realize sarcasm when it slaps you in the face!?"

"Do you not realize that it's my way of telling you to shove your sarcasm where the sun don't shine?!" the boy yelled as he swung at him, but Tai was able to dodge roll underneath and jump back for some distance.

"Good gosh, please don't tell me you're one of these tough guys who always has to have a comeback for everything..." the hooded teen groaned as he got a breather.

Luckily, the girls and the old man had gotten there and appeared behind him. It caused the apparent attacker to be pretty taken back and become more cautious.

"Tai, are you all right? We heard fighting and came over here," Estelle said, worrying.

"I'm fine, but this guy won't be if he keeps attacking me," Tai said, glaring at this kid and threatening him.

"Heh, you expect me to be scared of you all? That's nothing for the likes of me!" The boy yelled as suddenly he made a magic circle... but it was a color that the group wasn't aware of.

"An orange spell castin' formula...? I never heard of an orange one," Raven said, serious as he readied to move.

"Rita, have you seen anything like it?" Estelle asked, looking at the mage who for once looked dumbfounded.

"No... this is an element I've never seen before..." Rita said, her face seeming like someone slapped her across the face.

The boy held his sword up in the air as he yelled, "Come on, zap 'em where they stand! Spark Wave!"

Suddenly, a ball of light surrounded Tai as he looked around at it. Gasping, he realized there was electricity steaming inside and if he didn't act fast, it would be shocked quite literally. He grunted as before anyone could see what defensive measures he did, a burst of surgical sounding light shocked their eyes, blinding them. A confident teen smirked, only to lose it as he saw a huge green and black energy ball dissolving, revealing Tai in protection.

"Tai!" Estelle said relieved.

"A... lightning spell...?" Rita managed to mutter in surprise, as she shook her head, then yelled at the boy, "How on earth do you know that kind of spell?!"

"I'm not telling you anything!" the boy yelled as he was dropping into his stance, left sword upside-down like a dagger and right sword held normally, "Especially anyone who stands with Leviathan's Claw!"

Suddenly, the posture of Tai just dropped as his head lowered and the energy finally dissolved. Despite the danger that loomed at him, he sighed, causing his predator to raise an eyebrow rather taken off guard.

"Second time... This is the second time someone thinks I'm from this claw of Leviathan or whatever it's called," he groaned as he stood up straight and rubbed his head.

"Huh? Wait, you're not?" the boy slowly stood up straight and blinked with a shocked face.

"No, I'm not. Seriously, does everyone think I'm apart of this whatever group because I wear a hood?" Tai said, irritatedly as he looked away upward.

"Well, you're definitely shady; not like Yuri or the old man, of course, but..." Rita said, folding her arms and then walking over to the boy casually, "You. Teach me how to do that spell just now."

"Huh? Wait, what?" the boy asked, still off his game from the confirmation and was utterly confused.

"Rita, at least let us introduce ourselves first," Estelle said, the girls somehow forgetting how Tai was a bit steamed (as in not angry, but peeved) of how they just let the fact he was nearly killed off in an alley go so easily.

"Right, fine," Rita folded her arms uninterested.

"Well, I better start; My name is Dayren Vyce! Nice to meet'cha!" He introduced prodding himself in the chest with his thumb, which for some reason Estelle stiffened slightly.

"Day... ren...? Um, pardon me intruding, but I think I might have seen or heard of you from a long time ago," the princess said, hope in her eyes.

"Huh? Doubt it, but still, what's your name?" He asked arching an eyebrow and cupping his chin with his hand.

"My name is Estellise, but I prefer to be called Estelle." She introduced politely.

Raven and Tai both thought they saw Dayren's hand twitch slightly, but the calm look on his face betrayed what that idea. Rita would've known, but she had gone into 'bookworm mode' and was waiting in a... well, patient yet impatient manner.

"I'm sorry, Estelle, but no go on that; I haven't met anybody yet with that name until today," Dayren said, shrugging with a smile.

"Oh, that's okay," Estelle said, though apparent for some reason, looked a bit upset, but hid it rather well.

"I guess I'm next! Raven the Great, at yer-wha!" Raven tried to say, but once the new boy had seen him, had gotten sparkles in his eyes and rushed over, grabbing his hand and shaking it incredibly fast.

"Oh my geee! It's General Schwann! I am one of your biggest fans, sir! It's an honor and a priviledge to be able to meet the coolest, most awesome sword-master ever!" he said, sort of in a fanboy way.

"Hehe! Well, thanks kid! Guess there's more kids in this ol' world that know how ta respect the greatness of Raven the Great!" Raven said, puffing out his chest.

"You're killing me..." Rita groaned, losing her patience.

"Huh? What do you mean 'Raven'? You're Schwann!" Dayren said, smiling.

"Ahh, I've giv'n up on that old name for a while now," Raven said, gently as he remember some of his old deeds, "I go by Raven now, okay?"

"You'll always be my hero, Schw- err, I mean, Raven," Dayren replied back, getting a warm smile from the old man and princess.

"Okay, okay, let's speed things up here," Rita said, walking over to the boy, "Teach me that spell you did."

"Okay, wait a minute, girlie-"

"What!?"

"Ooooookaaaayy, angry girlie; I need to know your name first," the boy responded.

Rita folded her arms and in a strict tone, introduced herself, "Rita Mordio, blastia researcher and mage."

Suddenly, Dayren blinked in confusion and began to ask, "Wait... you're a mage? Then how come you don't know this spell...?"

"It doesn't matter! Just because I'm a mage, doesn't mean I have researched everything!" Rita snapped a bit, getting very ticked about whatever he could possibly be hinting at.

"So, then, you're asking me?" Dayren's face lit up with a smile, "Me being able to teach a mage something? Wow, this is going to be so much fun!"

Something about how his face looked when he said that made Rita's face turn red... but not from anger. Usually, she'd just get upset and pound the person who irritated her, but with this Dyaren fellow, she didn't know why she was turning red. But apparently, the others knew as she happened to catch their faces. Estelle was looking with surprise, Tai was glaring at her with a face that screamed 'what the hell', and Raven... had one of his 'sexual hinting' smirks as he constantly raised his eyebrows in a manner of love. With a grunt, Rita looked away and got control of herself, the redness fading.

"Okay, so: Estelle, Raven, Rita... how about you?" Dayren turned to the hooded teen, who wasn't angry this time.

"...Tai," he simply said bluntly, then began to turn away and try to walk from them.

"Well, that wasn't exactly whatcha call 'social' and friendly', wassit?" Raven said, slightly shaking his head.

"Would you be willing to give your name after nearly getting killed?" Rita said, giving the old man a question he had to buckle into and nod.

"Still, it couldn't hurt to be a little less cold, so that way you could restore possible interaction," Estelle said, a bit loud for Tai to get the hint to be more outgoing and nice.

"True, but you know, for what just happened with the fact I tried to do you in, you're sure taking it well," Dayren said to the teen, slightly making a bit of a puzzled smile as he raised an eyebrow.

"Don't get me wrong; I'm ticked off at you," Tai said, stopping and looking back, "But you must've had good reasons, right?"

"Yeah, to be honest, that Leviathan's Claw guild have been on the imperial capital's bad guy list ever since Alexei's betrayal, right?" Dayren said, "And there have been some around here lately, so I thought you were one of them."

"Because of the hood, huh?" Tai said, a bit monotone there.

"Ya gotta make sure you're attackin' the right targets, Dayren, my boy," Raven said, shrugging, "Otherwise, you're pickin' unnecessary fights."

"Eheheh, sorry..." the teen said, bowing his head, "I really am. I hope maybe later you can all forgive me."

"Yeah, yeah, cute, whatever," Rita said, walking over, with a impatient face, "Now, let's see that formula on how you did that spell."

So, for about a good twenty minutes, Dayren lectured the mage in learning lightning spells. Through a series of yelling and threats of pounding, the other three waited it out until they finally finished exchanging information. It was very easy soon for the group to be able to finally end this and watch Dayren hurry. Something about the way he kept looking at the princess made the group a bit suspicious.

"Well, uh, anyways, I gotta get going; places to go, people to save!" Dayren waved.

"Is there any chance we can be able to talk to you again?" Estelle called out.

"If we ever cross paths again! Bye!" he said rather rushing out, leaving the group to just stare at each other.

"What... was that?" Tai said, unsure of what just happened... happened.

"I don't really know," Estelle said, looking down.

"Ahh, whatever, at least I got the magic spell I wanted, so meeting him worked out in the end for me," Rita shrugged and closed her eyes.

"Aww, Rita, ya can't mean that against poor Tai gettin' hurt. Besides, that blushin' of yers makes ol' Raven see somethin' more," the old man winked at her.

"Maybe you are starting to go blind, old man. Care for me to help you get whatever is in your eyes out?" Rita got that glare in her expression that encouraged the old man to rethink what he said.

"Wha!? No! NOO!" Raven yelled as he ran for it, leaving the teens to follow him calmly.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

During this whole time, Flynn had gone off to speak with the Aiheap twins about confidental matter involving the imperial knights, and Akihiro had gone to look around the port city, though really it was a lie to do some training. It left Yuri and Repede alone to roam the busy, cheerful streets of Nor Harbor. Deciding that there was really nothing to do right now, the man decided to go buy some fruit to eat and some food for Repede. Giving the dog his share, he wiped his apple against his shirt and bit into it. He sighed looking up into the sky, realizing how truly amazing the blue cloudy sky looked like without that Adephagos abomination looming overhead constantly.

"I seriously cannot believe it's been only a few months since that battle with Duke..." he said to himself, "Man, time flies by when you're bored, I guess. At least we know that the majority of everyone is doing okay, right, Repede?"

Repede giving him a few agreeing barks, he smiled and looked at him, "Yeah, I know. Akihiro and Tai are kind of unique individuals, aren't they? But, I want to know more about them. For the safety of the group."

You see, Yuri Lowell secretely hates secrets. He doesn't like how people keep things from him, although he does it himself sometimes. For the safety of every person on the team he travels with, he doesn't like it if people try to hold their own personal secrets in a fashion that screams distrusting. Like in the past, how Raven was so sly and sneaky about everything he did, how Rita at first learned about Estelle's power and thus wanted to test a theory out on her, how Judith was destroying blastia and wouldn't reveal the justification behind it.

But now, that feeling was back again. And it was more on Flynn and Tai. He knew the commandant from childhood days and they always depended on each other, but lately, it seemed the toll of accepting the fact that a lot of good knights died was really getting to Flynn. He tried to hide it but it seemed that it was really causing his anger to flare up sometimes. And then, Tai; this unknown teenager who just was the very definition of secretive; wouldn't talk to most of the group, avoids others, and only talks really with Estelle and the old man. And the glove that he desperately refuses anyone to see.

All of these things were flying around in his head, his urges to just let his curiosity go after the two struggled to be held back. He couldn't just go right up to them... or could he? But this thinking was actually cut short, from a certain voice calling out.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe you're here!"

The similar female voice caught his eye as Repede suddenly panted and rushed over to a certain 14-year-old girl wearing a clothing set up of navy blue sea-going attire, but had this gigantic pirate hat on her head. His partner barked happily as he licked her in the face and she laughed and hugged Repede around the neck.

"Repede! I've missed you so much!" she said happily.

Yuri walked over and smiled at her, the eyes glistening with happy innocence as she hugged Yuri's leg. She still admired him for so long and it was very awkward how much she liked to hug him and say how she liked him, but at least she wasn't claiming they would marry anymore.

"Yuri! I'm so happy to see you!" she exclaimed loudly.

Yuri let out a breath out that sounded like a chuckle as he replied, "It's good to see you too, Patty."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Okay, let's get this over with. :3 Dayren, the Wandering Saint, belongs to pen name DeMerio and his story Tales of Vesperia 2: The Duke of Zaphias (which is in my favorite story list, go check him out!). Why am I letting this guy on? Well, I won't go into specifics unless given the okay by Demerio himself, but we are thinking of doing a future TOV project together. (with the fact Tai will appear in his story too 8D). Also, My laptop as I post this JUST got some kind of virus or something on it, so please bare with me if I don't post in a while. Thank you, and keep reading!


	24. Time in the harbor

A/N: Hey guys, I need some help. It's with my story and I need help on two very specific things.

1. As I said previously, DeMerio and I are making a TOV 3 or project of some sort, where our characters collide. But there's the thing. I have a total of 14 people in my story who will be in the party, and then combine to probably 16. Here's where it gets tricky; the cast is 9, my OCs equals 13, but I'm having trouble on who should be the 14th person. Should it be Duke (the hero of the Great War where I can do some sort of plot where his hope in humanity is regained and after all, he has his own mystic arte and fighting style), Clay (the awesome justice and dark guy from the sidequest dark enforcer which Yuri can gain his costume as a title), or make another OC?

2. As I was playing TOV, I realized one of Repede's titles (Nirvana Dog) says he can actually speak the human language, but choose not to. So, here's my question: Should Repede be able to speak a few human lines now and again in my story or stay true to the game and not communicate?

Please PM/Review/some kind of message me and let me know by saying the name of your choice for question 1 and yes or no for question 2. ... Good Lord, I sound like the United States voting commericials. XD Please let me know.

Also, 2,000 views! Guys and Girls, this is incredible; thank you so much! ^^

Now to the story...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

After calming the little pirate down, she begged Yuri into getting her some dumplings on a stick, one of her favorite foods that she always seemed to be sticking in her mouth. Patty humming happily about the delicious taste, she sat on a bench near the two and looked at Yuri.

"Yum, yum, dumplings!" she said childishly.

A simple chuckle arose from Yuri. He simply just looked up into the sky with a smile on his face. It was kind of a busy chore yet fun privilege of taking care of this little girl. First time he met her, she tried to barge right past those obnoxious guards of Ragou's mansion, soon outsmarting them and Yuri with a smoke bomb and a fake doll replica of herself. Then, somehow, she got captured and tied up in a rug, hanging by rope from the ceiling in one of the rooms of the basement of the same mansion. Then, she was in Kiev Moc being carried by a beetle, being vomited out of a merman right before the ghost ship, appeared in the Weasand of Cados behind them, and then finally joined the party while swimming in the Sands of Kogorh. Man, this little girl was impressive at getting into situations that Yuri wouldn't have believed that he himself could get into.

"So, Patty, you been keeping out of trouble?" he asked, catching her attention.

"Uh-huh, of course I've been, Yuri! I've made extra-extra-super-duper sure that I don't go where monsters are by myself and that I don't cause trouble! Besides," Patty said, then hugging herself happily with over-hyperactive joy, "I've been so happy since I got the Fierta!"

The Fierta was the ship that Fortune's Market used to own, but after fighting off the mermen and getting away from that ghost ship, the gang were given the boat for free. But after the team went their separate ways after the Adephagos battle, Patty claimed dibs on the ship, and thus has been using it happily.

"Must be hard to man the ship all by yourself, right? Since there's no more blastia to work the ship and all," Yuri questioned to just keep the conversation going.

"Oh, you gotta believe me! It was so hard at first, but luckily, that nice Kaufman lady helped me get one of those new things called engines, and it runs real great!" the pirate cheered, but looked up with a funny and talking aloud face, "However, it's hard to breathe when you stand so close to the engine when it's running. But, that's okay!"

Fighting the urge to let a laugh slip out, Yuri nodded and looked away, "Well, it seems you got yourself all handled out. Guess it was a waste of time to worry about you."

"Ah! You worried about me?" Patty's eyes glittered and glistened with sparkles as she shimmied over closer to the man, a part of her past dream of marrying him awakening, "Oh, it's so lovely to have a man like you worry about me! Heehee! You're making me blush..."

Slight annoyance was on the part of Yuri. Like stated previously, it wasn't as bad as before when they first met, on how Patty announced to the world that she and Yuri would be a couple. But there were those times that it just made him irritated to where he might just start complaining. Maybe not as bad as when the old man is... being the old man, but maybe around where Estelle constantly just goes off in different directions because of her whims, or when Flynn lectures him on right and wrong.

"Yeah, sure... anyways, what are you doing here in the harbor?" he asked, looking back at her.

"Well, ya know I like sailing around for adventure, but it's just bad, Yuri! Bad! I can't even find anything to do! So, I thought I'd come visit you!" she cheered clapping, flinching as a piece of dumpling almost fell off the stick.

"Huh? Why me?" he asked, blinking.

"Because we know your luck, Yuri," Patty said, grinning slyly and raising an eyebrow, "Trouble and adventures always get you involved."

"Gee, thanks," Yuri smiled incredulously up into the sky, a bit tired of how fate always seemed to knock on his door and how what the pirate said couldn't be argued.

"So, come on! Tell me! You gotta be in the middle of some kind of situation, right? Lemme help; what's going on?" Patty said, leaning closer towards him.

Yuri, after taking one good look at Repede's nod of agreement, sighed and then began to say, "Okay... here's what's happened so far..."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

In actuality just outside of the port city, Flynn had just finished sending the Aiheap twins back to Zaphias in order to help Sodia train more soldiers. Originally, he was going to bring the Flynn Brigade over there and recruit them to come along, but after the massive Orochiberus blood fest, he decided to play it safe. Sighing, he closed his eyes and clenched his fist close to his chest. He was still remembering the horror that took place...

"Flynn?"

He turned to see that Estelle and Rita were walking towards him and out of the port near him.

"Lady Estellise, what are you doing outside Nor Harbor?" he asked.

"Well, Rita was given some new information about a brand new type of element spell," Estelle explained smiling, "So I decided to come and watch her try it out."

"A new spell type...?" Flynn couldn't help but say aloud.

"Apparently, the spell type is Lightning; something even I haven't heard of," Rita said, getting a bit further away, "It's a totally new element, unlike my Thunder Blade arte. I want to master it, just in case things demands it come in handy."

"Rita's training aside, is there a particular reason you're out here, Flynn?" Estelle asked.

"...I'm just recalling my failure back at Halure, your highness," Flynn said, closing his eyes, turning away from Estelle's sudden frown, "I've been very troubled by my lack of proper leadership that costed me those lives."

"Flynn, there was nothing you could do more; Yuri has already told you that," Estelle said, sounding a bit sad.

"Yuri doesn't know what it's like right now to know your mistake cost the lives of good men and women that will never be obtained again, Lady Estellise," the knight said rather darkly, then perked his head up, shook it a bit, then turned to her, "M-My apologies for that behavior."

"It's all right... and, I think you're right in a sense, Flynn," Estelle said, holding her hands in front of her stomach, "Yuri may not know what it's like to make a bad mistake that ends up taking lives, but he does know that making a decision can affect the people around him. You know that after he killed Ragou and Cumore behind our backs, it caused some problems for Brave Vesperia."

"That is indeed true, and it does kind of bother me still that he was the cause of those deaths," Flynn said, but instead of continuing a pointless never-ending argument on whether his best friend's actions were justified, "But besides that, maybe I do need to come to terms that stuff like this can happen. It'll be very difficult, I know for sure."

"But you have us that can help you," the girl said happily, which caused the knight to nod and thank her for the talk.

"Okay, I've got the formula down," they both turned their attention to the mage after she spoke, "Now, to test it...!"

Getting into her classic spell casting pose, the orange circle appeared underneath her as she began to chant her incantation.

"O, thunderous electricity that crackles shatteringly, come down and paralyze my foes! LIGHTNING!"

Suddenly, tiny sparks from the sky came down and formed pathetically shaped bolts. Grunting in frustration, Rita honestly tried to fight the urge to blast Flynn with a fireball as he began guffawing at her bluff for a good two and a half minutes. Estelle tried to silence him and even convince her friend the knight was laughing at something else, but that was so not working.

"I'm sorry! I really am, haha!" Flynn finally regained himself, to Estelle's liking for he lightened up again (A/N: Hehe, pun!), "It's just I've never seen you mess up a spell before."

"Rrrgh, this spell is harder than I thought... How did that moron do it...?" she said, the latter part under her breath.

"You just gotta practice again until you get it, Rita," Estelle tried to innocently encourage her.

In a fit of impatience and doing a shortened spell cast, the mage yelled, "Blah blah blah! LIGHTNING!"

Well, that was a sucky move on the genius' part. Not only did the lightning bolt pretty much come out too fast and bulky, but it went way off course and happened to strike a certain black-haired teenager who was training way far from them.

"YYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEOOOUUUCH!" Akihiro shrieked as he jumped up and twitching coming down onto the ground.

"...Whoops..." was all Rita could say, as she had the look of just backing up and walking away, hoping no one would notice.

"Akihiro! Hang on!" the princess yelled, rushing over to him.

"If I may borrow a sarcastic line from Karol, 'Way to go, Rita'. No offense," Flynn said, teasing a bit as he hurried over, only to have the mage snort at him and rush over too.

As the two got over, Estelle finished healing the teen as he shot up to his feet and glared angrily at the mage.

"The HELL was that for!? You almost cooked me from the inside out!" he shouted at her.

"Awww, almost?" Rita said, smiling as she teased, but sounding serious as it caused the teen to flinch in fear of her.

"Rrrgh, well, I'm fine now," the boy grumbled as he jumped back up.

"Akihiro, you can't be seriously training after what happened eariler today, are you?" Estelle asked, wide-eyed.

"Sure am, Estelle! I gotta get stronger so I can beat Yuri next time we spar! Then, I'll challenge Tai, and then the coliseum of Nordipolica!" he cheered impishly.

"You know, Yuri will become steamed at you if he catches you again, trying to kill yourself," Rita said, folding her arms.

Cupping his chin in his hand, the commandant raised an eyebrow at the young man, "Come to think of it, has Yuri even talked to you yet about your behavior?"

"Naw!" Akihiro grinned evilly, "I snuck out behind him after you guys finished talking with the Aiheap twins. He totally forgot all about me! Bonus training time for me."

Suddenly, a giggle came from the princess. The trio accompanying her all glanced over with curiosity and suspicious wonder as she smiled.

"In that case, I better go tell Yuri myself," she said, teasing the teen who suddenly paled and his eyes became huge in fear.

"Wh-Whoa! Hold on, you ain't serious, are you, Estelle?" he said, scared that she was actually being truthful.

"I am, but I might not tell, if you catch me!" she laughed as she began running back to the port city.

"N-No way! This ain't funny! Estelle, wait up!" Akihiro called out after her as he began running after her.

It left the commandant and mage completely confused on who said what and what just happened. They blinked at the same time and then looked at each other. Soon, both had a smile on their face.

"Wow, she beat me to it," Rita said, almost chuckling.

"It embarrasses me to say this, but I want to see what happens. Come; let us go after them," Flynn said, and with a nod from his friend, all four ran back towards Capua Nor.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Please, Japanese fans and English translating fans of the PS3 version of the game, forgive me if I misrepresented Patty's behavior wrong. I just thought since she's a 14 year old girl, I could make her innocent and excited like. And just a fun goofy chapter here. I hope you like it, and keep reading!


	25. Wanted posters from the knights

As they returned into the city, the duo had found that the hyper-on-candy teenager had caught up to Estelle near one of the alleys near the Dice Master (who Rita swore was a demon from hell from how many times he taunted her for failing at a game). As they approached, Akihiro was gasping for air, leaning up against the wall as Estelle was giggling nonstop at the time.

"S-Seriously, Estelle... huff... that... huff... nguh, wasn't funny...!" the boy struggled to say under breaths.

"Heeheehee, your face was so silly, Akio," Estelle giggled, causing the two to smile along.

"H-Hey! That name's A- !" he tried to say, but was interruped by forgetting that he was gasping for air and so began coughing.

"Ugh, what a moron..." Rita rolled her eyes at the stupid exiting out of this kid.

"What? Tired already? What a poor excuse for a warrior!" Flynn said aloud, suddenly causing Akihiro to perk up, "A champion cannot afford to be seen gasping for air!"

A slight smirk appeared on the mage's face and a smile on the princess' as they saw that Flynn was trying to uplift the boy and make him get fired up so he could catch his breath. Awing at the sudden burst of energy, it worked.

The boy grinned as fire flared up his red eyes and said, "What!? TIRED!? Not me! I will never let myself fall to fatigue! I will become the champion of Nordipolica! Just you wait!"

"Good, good," Flynn said, closing his eyes with an innocent smile, "That's the Akihiro we know."

"Well, that was entertaining. Shall we get going to the others?" Rita asked, after folding her arms.

"Huh? Wait, is that Tai's face on that poster?" Estelle suddenly noticed on the wall behind Flynn's head.

The group turned to see that posted on the wall was a wanted poster and it had Tai's face on it, with a bounty. The group was stunned, but Estelle was the most.

"Wh-What? A wanted poster for Tai?" she said aloud worried.

"Wait just a doggone minute! Tai is a criminal!?" Akihiro said, surprised out of his skull.

"Rroooh, I knew that freak was hiding something! That's it! That glove is coming off!" Rita said, but before she could start running on her ambitious goal, the princess stopped her.

"Wait, Rita! This is a mistake! Tai's not really guilty of anything; it's Adecor and Boccos' lack of judgment!" she tried to say quickly.

Suddenly, all made sense as the mage groaned, "Oh, so it's those two dunce-buckets? Why do they always embarrass themselves and not know it?"

"I'm afraid they do have a problem with self-control and just jump to conclusions way too rashly," the commandant said, rubbing his face a bit with a sigh, "Well... let's not waste too much time here and go inform the others."

With a collective nod, the teens started to make their way outside. But before going out, another wanted poster caught Flynn's eye. It wasn't anyone who belonged to the group, but it seemed to have an amazingly high bounty for just one person. With that, he took it down and with Tai's wanted poster, followed the others back.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"...This can't be happening..."

A shallow groan came from under the hood of Tai as the others were baffled by this sudden bad news. Don't get me wrong; Flynn and the girls were overjoyed to see Patty again, but since it was an just a 'how've you been' sort of thing, we'll skip that and continue onto the bad news.

"Huh? Did Tai do somethin' really bad back in Zaphias that we don't know about or what?" Raven said, flinching comically at the poster.

"Oh, come on! You gotta be kidding me!" Yuri said, a bit upset and shocked as he ripped the poster out of Flynn's hand, "I break into a noble home, fight several knights, jailbreak, and all those false charges, and I got 10,000 gald on my head. Yet, Tai only has fought two knights and he has a 20,000 gald reward!?"

"You make it sound like you want to be in trouble with the knights, Yuri," Flynn grumbled a bit as he glared at his friend's inexcusable disappointment, which was followed by a groan from Repede.

"I hate to say it around Tai, but it's most likely that since he looks a bit like them, the knights think he's part of Leviathan's Claw, and thus the reward is greater," Estelle said, looking down.

"That is absolutely right, your royal highness!" a voice called from behind the group as they turned to see.

There they were; the Schwann Brigade: Captain Leblanc, Adecor, and Boccos. They were standing at the ready, with their equipment ready to go.

"That's far enough! I am Captain Leblanc, of the Schwann Brigade, and I am here for that young boy in the hood!" the mostly normal looking knight pointed at Tai.

"Yuri! So you are helping this fugitive run away from justice!" Adecor accused after he had gotten a good look of who Tai was with.

"My, my, one of the heroes of Tarqaron, and now aiding a fellow criminal. I guess the mighty have fallen," Boccos shook his head and judged.

"Ahh, Tweedle A and Tweedle B; perfect timing! We were just talking about ya," Yuri smirked and said mock-cheerfully.

Both knights got riled up and said a mixture of, "Just what is a tweedle, anyway?" and "I say, don't call us that!"

"Fools! Enough grandstanding and wasting time! Young man," Leblanc scolded for a millisecond and then turned to Tai, "you've evaded the law long enough. Now be a good boy, and turn yourself in!"

With the shadows covering his face, he turned to the old man, who rubbed his neck with a sigh, and said, "Old man... now's the time to really help me by keeping your promise..."

"Right-o!" Raven winked to him, and slipping around the group, automatically caught the attention of the knights.

"A-Ahhh! General Schwann!" Leblanc said aloud as the three immediately stood up straight and saluted.

"All righty, now, stop that. It's Raven, com' on now. Why do people not listen ta me?" Raven shook his head with an annoyed groan, refusing to acknowledge his previous identity, "Lookie here, now. Ol' Raven's got to have a word with ya."

So, skipping ahead in boring lines, Raven was basically forced to sit the trio of knights down to explain that accusing Tai of being apart of this infamously evil guild and doing the improper steps to determine if he was guilty was wrong and it was unfair. This left the group to see that Flynn was staring at another wanted poster he had grabbed... and leave Yuri muttering under his breath how unfair his bounty was.

"What is it, Flynn? Another poster?" Estelle asked as he attempted to look on with him.

"Yes, but the reason for the person's arrest caught my eye," Flynn said, as he showed it to the others.

The picture of the person wanted was a woman, maybe a little less older than Raven. She had darker skin with olive green long hair that curled inward towards her face and neck. She wore this baseball style cap that was pitch black with yellow lightning streaks on the side. She had some type of jacket on, but the portrait had cut off right at the shoulders.

"A woman?" Akihiro said, raising an eyebrow, "Call my crazy, but that's not a real criminal looking gal to me."

"What does the poster say she's wanted for?" Estelle asked.

"Hmmm... it says that she's apparently charged with blastia thievery, trespassing, and possession of unregistered machinery," Flynn said, analyzing it.

"What? Lemme see that!" Rita ripped the poster out of his hands and got a VERY good look at the woman's face, before saying, "Rrooogh! She's gonna get it! I don't care if blastia don't work anymore! I'm totally going to wring anyone's neck who messes with them!"

"You don't think she could be related to the blastia thieves?" Akihiro raised an idea, everyone suddenly interested in this unknown woman.

"Oh! Oh! I know that woman! I've seen her before!" Patty jumped up and down, waving her arms to get their attention.

"Wait, really?" Tai asked, raising an eyebrow at this sudden girl knowing something.

"Yeah-yes-yup! A little while back, my ship had this problem with the engine and I was forced to dock at Torim, but then this woman came up to me and said she'll fix my ship for free. She even paid for me to have dumplings and a night's rest at the inn!" Patty said, then defended with a pout, "That's what she can't be a bad person! No-No-No!"

"Then what's she doing being labeled as a jerk messing with blastia?" Rita fired back at the girl.

"I dunno! Yuri was falsely accused too! Maybe that happened!" Patty whined back at the mage, as she was not one of her many targets.

"And the other crimes too?" Estelle looked to Flynn, who closed his eyes and thought about it.

Shaking his head, the commandant said, "I can't really say for certain. I'd need to see witnesses who have seen her in the act of these crimes and also let her explain her side of the story. Nevertheless, Lady Estellise, you could maybe be right that she could have connections to the thieves," and then putting the poster in his belt for later, "I don't want to risk it. I'll keep it with me so in case I see her, I can verify I found her."

Soon after the conversation, the Schwann Brigade and Yuri had joined back with the massive gathering.

"All righty, Tai, you're officially cleared of all charges, courteously of me," Raven said, winking at the teen with a grin, "And all wanted posters of ya will be taken done asap."

"Heh, thanks so much, Raven," Tai smiled, waving his right hand to him, "I really appreciate this, man."

"But alas, my great friend, Tai, there's a teensy bit of a catch," a anime-style sweatdrop came down the man's head as he signaled with his fingers that it was small.

"There's always a catch when you're involved, old man," Yuri sighed.

"So, what is it?" Flynn asked for the teenager.

"It seems Adecor and Boccos are still a bit steamed at their loss against ya, and want a rematch," Raven said, rubbing his chin, "Ya must've really beat them hard."

"Oh, yeah? What exactly did you do to them?" Yuri asked, looking at Tai with interest.

"Well, after the millionth time of trying to reason with them failed, I said they sucked and that's why they were city guards. I then knocked them out with three hits, NOT using my weapon, but finishing by using the small one as a baseball and hitting a home run into the other one," Tai explained, a smirk developing as he told it.

"Haha! Man, that sounds awesome. I really wished I could've seen it," Yuri said, grinning at him with an impressed face.

"Hey! Be quiet! How dare you mock an imperial knight of the Schwann Brigade!" Boccos said, as both he and his partner rattled in their armor from anger at that insult.

"But belay that, Boccos! Tai, your name was that, correct?" Adecor asked, and continued after the teen gave him a nod, "We are willing to admit we made a mistake in labeling you as a criminal, but our honor compels us to ask you for a rematch!"

"We cannot let the beating that you gave us in the lower quarter of the capital go unrepaid! We request a battle with you, right now!" Boccos joined, as both readied their weapons.

"So, you know what I'm capable of, and you want to challenge me?" Tai suddenly, smirked eagerly, "Heh, you got guts if you know that much."

The group was rather surprised as the sudden turn inside Tai. Normally, he wasn't a guy that accepted challenges or was eager to fight. But something about him now changed. But to Akihiro and Patty, it was so amazing. This teen seemed so cool and he just captivated their attention. But their reactions were different.

Akihiro folded his arms and grumbled. Man, this guy was so much cooler and skilled, just by how he talked. He really needed to train now in order to get stronger. But Patty's eyes sparkled with joy. She gasped with excitement as she held her hands close to her chest and giggled.

"So... cool..." she muttered.

"All right, then, I'll show you more of what I can do," Tai said, reaching for his bat.

"Hold on, you're not seriously thinking of fighting these tweedles alone, are you?" Yuri said, suddenly drawing his sword, and ignoring the demands from the two knights to stop calling them that.

"Huh? Yuri, are you saying you want to be Tai's partner?" Flynn asked smiling.

"Yeah, I doubt he can take both of these guys by himself, right?" Yuri said, grinning.

"Um... didn't you just hear me?" Tai asked, sighing.

"Oooh, I say, Yuri Lowell, we will make you pay for all of those crushing defeats as well!" Adecor declared loudly.

"Pray for your soul to be saved, for it will perish today!" Boccos joined in.

"Fools! Not out here where innocence can be harmed," Leblanc scolded all four competitors, "We must go outside of the city, just in case. There, we will see who wins: Adecor and Boccos vs Yuri and Tai!"

/\/\/\/\/\

Well, here it comes; another Tweedle fight! I hope you keep reading and hopefully I can make it a good fight! But Yuri and Tai on a team alone? Could possibly cause some problems... :3 We'll see!


	26. Tutorial: Aer Dash

The group ended up going outside of the city and into the plains in order to watch a special matchup. The majority of the group had gotten to the side and had sat down in the grass to watch. As the knights were getting a pep-talk from their captain, the duo of Yuri and Tai got their weapons drawn and waited for them.

"So, you excited about fighting them?" Yuri tried to start some conversation with the teenager.

"Not really; the sooner this is over, the better," Tai shrugged, tipping the point of the bat on his shoes in a bored manner.

"Aww, come on; not one shred of anticipation on beating the guys up who gave you a hassle back in the capital?" Yuri smiled, trying to get the kid to speak the truth, but once he was only rewarded with a 'no-nonsense' look, he backed off and continued, "Fine, fine. I'm just rather surprised for a really skilled fighter that you're not really wanting to fight so badly."

"I don't like to fight at all," Tai said, looking away, "I only do when it's necessary. That's it."

"Then why train at all to be strong if there's no interest in fighting for you?" Yuri asked, tilting his head a bit, his curiosity starting to get the best of him.

"There was a point in my life where I thought I might like to go outside of Halure before I went with Estelle. So, I trained just in case," Tai began to feel like Yuri was trying to get him to tell information about him he wanted to be secret.

"So, mind telling me how you were able to get the artes then? I doubt those are just the kind you pick up randomly during a battle. How'd you get them and make them work with your glove?" Yuri tried his luck and asked.

There was a bit of a silence, which signaled to the man he probably wouldn't get any clear answers. But soon, he was told them.

"Normally, I'd either tell someone to buzz off or just ignore them, but since I've met Estelle and Raven, I'm going to kindly tell you I'm not going to answer that; it's personal and private, okay?" Tai said, rubbing his neck by reaching into his hoodie.

It was this kind of dodging around giving answers that made Yuri be reminded of the old man, actually. Instead of the Tai way of being silent and then saying 'that's not your business', Raven would usually try to make a bunny trail off the topic and make a joke answer followed by laughing. He placed a hand on his hip and smiled.

"Fine; keep your secrets. I will find out what you're hiding though," he said, but to Tai, was unknown whether he was really serious or using satire.

In all seriousness, Yuri doesn't like to be confused, or have secrets held from him. He loves to push things until he gets all the info, and deep down, oh how he wanted to get that glove's information out of Tai. Not like Rita who wants it for research, but if it holds a threat to the safety of who he holds dear to his heart, he wants to know. And the fact that Tai hangs out with Raven of all people, the jack-of-all-trades, yet the master-of-all-secrets, screams that he needs to know about this. But not now; they were going to have some fun.

"You hold secrets so well, you remind me of the old man," Yuri said, looking at Raven, who was relaxing in the grass, and lying down.

He heard a slight chuckle from Tai, something that was rare to hear from the teenager.

"You know, that wasn't meant to be a compliment," he raised both eyebrows and said truthfully.

Tai slightly smiled at him and shrugged, "Well, it is to me."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Be safe, all of you! But do a good job, Yuri! You too, Tai!" Estelle cheered as the group had sat down together to the left of the fighters.

"Oh, is the fight startin' now?" Raven flash-speed sat up, then made himself comfortable by laying on his side.

"You're sure making yourself at home, old man," Rita said, rolling her eyes.

"Shhh! I wanna see this fight! Oh, man, I can't wait to see what Yuri and Tai do!" Akihiro grinned and joyfully said, barely trying to not yell as Repede gave him an agreeing bark.

"Oh, yeah, and I'll get to see how the freak actually does those artes," Rita muttered with a confident smirk, only Estelle able to hear her, the latter of whom looked at her then at Tai with worry.

Leblanc then walked over to the group and sat down next to Raven, saying, "My men have really been training since they last saw you, Sch- Raven. I'm very interested in how they do."

"Yeah, I gotta agree there, but uh..."

"Sir?"

Raven smiled as he looked at the battle, "It's not Yuri or the Schwann Brigade that I'm watchin' here. I wanna see what Tai does in this fight."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As they realized the starting fight would be soon, Tai looked over to Yuri, asking, "So, how are we going to do this?"

"What, you mean fight? Don't we just beat them senseless until they're on the ground twitching?" Yuri asked.

"No, I mean, do we just go after both as a team, pick a man and do one-on-one, or do our own thing?" Tai sighed and asked.

"Uhh... I don't really care," Yuri shrugged, smiling into a exhaling chuckle, "I just crush whoever is in my way, that okay?"

No answer was going to ever satisfy that, Tai thought. He rolled his eyes as he readied his bat and decided he'd do things his own way. It was around that time as well that Adecor and Boccos were ready too.

"At last! Our honor will be restored! We shall taste victory against you two!" Boccos declared loudly.

"I say, prepare to fall to the blades of light that is the Schwann Brigade!" Adecor joined in, raising his sword.

"All right, let's get this started!" Yuri said, almost laughing in anticipation, where all four fighters were in their stances, ready.

Flynn had been made the match master, and was in charge of starting and stopping the battle at any time. He stood to the right of the match, opposite of everyone else and began to announce in a loud voice.

"All right! It is now time; Yuri and Tai versus the Schwann Brigade! Ready... set... Fight!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

_Check this tutorial?_

**_Yes_**

_No_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

All parties readied for battle once the okay was given by Flynn. Being watched closely by the commandant to make sure who was knocked out or not badly injured, Yuri rushed right at the knights as they came at him.

"Kiss your freedom goodbye, for it ends today!" Boccos yelled as he swung his spear at him.

Clashing with it, and causing him to back up with a swing of his sword, Yuri raised an eyebrow and asked, "Um, why are you telling me that? I'm not in trouble with the knights anymore, so I can't lose my freedom."

"Be quiet, I say, and feel the power of the imperial knights!" Adecor ordered as he rushed at him and swung his sword at him, clashing swords.

"What's the matter? Can't focus when I'm talking? Maybe I should keep talking then?" Yuri said, causing a long verbal argument with the three of them.

Yeah, this wasn't going to improve or do anything at all. Just looking at them, Tai decided to just lay low and wait until something happened. He watched as Yuri really was handling the two by himself quite perfectly, he really felt like he didn't need to fight whatsoever. But with the sudden looks and gestures from the group that said 'get in there', Tai soon found Adecor looking at him, noticing how he wasn't moving.

"Fear not, youth of the generation! Fight me, and let me regain my honor! Come at me!" he bravely called out and challenged.

Taking a deep breath, Tai slowly bent down as tiny bits of aer became visible around him. But this was not a spell. It was in fact some type of new ability not ever known in Terca Lumireis before. The aer wrapped around him as he suddenly dashed forward with blinding speeds. It seemed as if he teleported somehow to be right in front of Adecor. It smashed into him, destroying his guard and causing Adecor to be dizzy.

Everyone's breath just stopped for a brief second as Tai took the advantage to use his bat and swing upward, knocking the knights down. He stood ready, as Adecor shook out the cobwebs from his head, so to speak, and stood up.

"W-What form of magic be this that grants you immense speed?" he said shocked.

"He broke through your guard, Adecor!" Boccos said, shocked.

"That was amazing..." Yuri said, wide-eyed and blinking as he jumped back and joined Tai back to ask, "How on earth did you do that? Is that some sort of arte?"

"No, it's a battle technique; it's called Aer Dash," Tai answered, but kept his eyes on the two knights.

"Aer Dash? I've never read about that technique before," Estelle said, all the group looking at her as she said that.

"Really now? The master reader don't know about this?" Raven said, rather surprised.

"Give her a break, old man; she doesn't know everything," Rita grumbled as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"That's because Aer Dash is a technique that's recently been discovered," the group was interested in hearing Akihiro explain loudly, for everyone to hear, for he knew, "It's no wonder no one has really heard about it that much yet."

"Really? So can you tell us about it?" Estelle asked nicely.

With a nod, Akihiro began explaining, "Aer Dash is basically a new battle technique where the person can use the neighboring aer around him or her and use it to increase his or her speed in a straight line. It doesn't matter whether the person had a blastia before hand or not; it still is a move anyone can use."

"Using aer into your body for increased speed? I didn't think that was possible," Rita voiced her disbelief of it.

"Well, now that the blastia are no more, human and animal bodies have adjusted to aer much more easier than normal. So, that way, using it doesn't cause harmful effects to the body. Now, there's two versions of Aer Dash," Akihiro said, then pointing at the battle, "The one Tai used is called Advancing Aer Dash. Using that lets you chase after enemies that are running away or are far away in a flash. It collides into the enemy, and if you're lucky, it causes their guard to be shattered, like Tai did with Adecor."

"And what's the other one?" Leblanc asked, rather stunned still.

"That one's called Backstep Aer Dash. It's basically the opposite; you use it to go backwards, like to get out of situations and tough attacks that can't be blocked or escape by just running. But both dash technique require an insane amount of energy just to pull it off, so you can't just do dashes over and over again," Akihiro finished, folding his arms confidently.

"You think you can learn it by watching?" Tai asked as he dropped into his stance again.

"Sure thing; let's see if I can try that again," Yuri smirked and got ready to fight.

Slowly closing his eyes, he focused closely on his energy to make sure he was ready. Soon, a tiny bit of aer dots appeared around him. Not as large as Tai's dash, Yuri pulled it off and was able to collide into Adecor again. It knocked him a bit off guard, but not like Tai did. Then, he tried it backwards, but was only able to get halfway to Tai. Forced to run back, he panted as he readied.

"I guess I'm not good at this technique," he said rather upset.

"Well, of course not; you just used it; it takes time and stronger people to do it. You gotta keep practicing in order to use it right," Tai explained.

"All right, enough talk," Yuri said as he grinned, "Let's try this battle for real now!"

"That's my line, I say!" Adecor yelled back.

"But that's my line!" Boccos whined as the four charged at each other.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**While using Aer Dash, all attacks will bounce off you and you will be invincible during it. There are certain advantages to each type of dash. Advancing has more power and can knock down any enemies in the way of your target, while Backstep allows more distance to be covered away from your opponent. Mostly Advancing is used for melee fighters, and Backstep for spell casters. But be warned; using Aer Dash calls for 75 TP, so use it wisely.**

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I thought I'd give TOV 2 a brand new battle technique since it would be as a sequel and sequels try to add more stuff. Sorry if this chapter is a bit short, but I wanted to do a quick Tutorial on this new thing. Enjoy and keep reading! ^^


	27. Spar's end

Well, the fight went along bitter-sweetly. Not to say that Yuri and Tai were losing, in fact the opposite was true. Despite not really fighting long enough to be categorized as a team, the two were really pressing the knights back and getting more shots in. But it wasn't as promising as everyone wanted.

Basically, Yuri kept stealing Tai's spotlight. Maybe it was because he was more into the fighting, or maybe that he's the stronger one of the two, but the fact is that Tai was only really able to get some shots in. That doesn't mean that Yuri completely hogged all the fun; Tai was able to land some good kicks and knockdown blows that were impressive. But whenever he got into trouble, it seemed that his partner didn't think he could do it by himself and switched "man" constantly with him.

Besides, it wasn't long before Yuri was able to take down Adecor by himself. The latter tried his Sonic Thrust arte, but Yuri backstepped and quickly did a chain of Destruction Field, Pyre Havoc, and Severing Fang. Once the knight had hid the ground, he had gargled in pain and just twitched on the ground, like Yuri told Tai he would. After that, he then made a beeline towards the other knight.

Boccos was putting up a good fight. However, Tai's bat had connected with him and it showed by how sore he moved. The teen did well guarding and trading clashes, but there was one opening he saw. He went to strike, but suddenly a sword came in front of him, causing him to open his mouth in shock and back up. Yuri proceeded to catch the knight's attention and fight him.

"How dare you! Can't you see Tai and I were fighting? That's hardly proper manners!" Boccos snapped at him.

"You honestly think manners matter in a fight? You're kidding, right?" Yuri asked with a smirk.

Sighing, Tai just shrugged it off and put his bat away. He simply stood there and let Yuri take care of it. Hey, not his problem anymore.

Yuri smiled in confidence as he landed five straight blows onto Boccos, then followed it up with a chain of artes.

"Lone Wolf Charge! Cerberus Strike! Azure Storm! Tiger Blade! Frigid Blast!"

With those artes finishing up, Boccos soon went down as well. It caused Yuri to swing his sword a bit confidently as he soon looked at the two knights defeated.

"Heh, I got a little worked up," he said one of his famous battle speeches.

"This battle is over! The winners are Yuri and Tai!" Flynn stopped the battle and announced.

A bark coming out of Repede, he ran over, soon to be followed up by Estelle, Patty, and Akihiro. Bending down to scratch his partner's ears, he listened to the praises of fighting that he was told.

"Yuri, that was wonderful! You defeated them with barely any injuries!" Estelle giggled as she said joyously.

"Yuri! That was like soooooo cool! You were so awesome like you always have been!" Patty cheered as she swayed from side to side.

"Dude, you gotta teach me some of those moves, man!" Akihiro grinned as he clenched his fists and grinned with excitement.

"Heh, thanks girls, and sure, when we have time, I can, Akio," he thanked and promised, much to the boy's dismay about the name.

The mage and the old man came over too, as Leblanc and Flynn began to treat the knight's wounds from battle. Raven looked carefree as usual, but Rita actually seemed upset.

"Hey, what's the matter? Aren't you glad we won?" he asked, looking at her with a curious face.

"Hmph, idiot. Don't you mean that you won?" she blurted out.

"Huh?" was the only thing he could come out of his mouth, as Tai came over.

"Well, no offense, Yuri, but... um..." Estelle looked down, holding her hands while trying to find the right words.

"What Estelle and I are both trying to say is that you hogged the whole battle to yourself," Rita glared at him, "Tai rarely even got a shot to do anything."

"Oh, come on. I get the fact I really get into a fight when it comes down to it. A win's a win, right?" he asked, trying to compromise.

"Well, that may be true, Yuri, but ol' Raven would've loved ta see what Tai could do back there," Raven shrugged as his glance caught the teenager.

Tai waved it off as he looked away, "Ehh, I don't really care. If he can take out both those guys for me, it's all good."

Suddenly, he realized the eyes of Patty were sparkling in delight and admiration. No, more than that. In pure... bliss? She giggled as she looked at him so ecstatically as she soon jumped up and down, running around Tai and grabbing onto him. Scaring him a bit by not telling him that she was gonna do that, he flinched.

"W-..What...!?" he asked her a bit rushed.

"You're so super duper cool!" she said happily as she giggled.

"Awww, lookie there; Tai's got a fan," Raven winked to the teen, making the boy sigh.

"What's a matter; shy and embarrassed of a girl liking you?" Yuri teased with a smirk, but was ended with a slight scolding from Estelle.

"No; I'm not one to let people just grab onto me... Rita," he said, looking at her.

"Hey! The hell are you saying my name for?" the mage demanded an answer, though it was clearly obvious what he meant.

Despite the millions of good burns they could've answered with, the group soon ended their conversation with the knights and decided that since it was pretty far into the afternoon that they wouldn't waste any money for a night cruise. They'd stay in the new modified inn that had more rooms now and could fit the group and more. It wasn't long before Adecor and Boccos would be healed of their wounds and conscious to declare that this was far from over. Yuri taunted them in that little way he does things, but Tai just walked off, with Patty still clinging onto his leg. Parting ways with the Schwann Brigade, the group began to head back into the port city.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Patty joined the party.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – So cool!

Patty: (hands holding face, eyes like dots, slight blush, freaking out face)_ OH MY GOSH! I JUST CANNOT BELIEVE IT!_

Estelle: (head turned to the right, scared face, Tai's shoulders perk up, head raises up with shocked face, raised eyebrow, Akihiro's eyes narrow comically, screaming/shocked face) _What's the matter, Patty? Are you hurt?_

Patty: (neutral face) _Huh? No, it's nothing bad like that. It's just that Tai's so cool!_ (Tai's neutral face, Akihiro looks stunned, Estelle looks surprised)

Akihiro:_ I-Is that all you were screaming about?_

Patty: (eyes semi-close, incredulous face) _Uh, yes, Mr. worry-wort._ (Akihiro's neutral face) _I just think that Tai looked soooooo cool in that battle!_

Estelle: (looks surprised) _Oh really?_

Tai: (looks to his right, uncaring face) _What exactly is your definition of cool? Like what did I do to be cool to you?_

Patty: (neutral face) _Well... you were cool in fighting and stuff, and you were so cool when you said to Yuri that you didn't care as long as the fight was over, and the way you walked away was just_ (hands holding face, eyes like dots, slight blush, freaking out face) _SOOOO COOOL!_

Tai: (closes his eyes) _Whatever floats your boat, I guess..._

Patty: _! He knows I have a love for ships! SOOOOOOOOOO COOOOOOOOOOOOL!_

Estelle: (looks down, sad)_ I thought that when you're asked a question like that, you're supposed to give a more elaborate answer..._

Akihiro: (grits teeth, angry face, closes eyes)_ Darn it... I wish I can be viewed like that._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Operation Repetai

Tai: (grumpy face, when Repede's portrait is getting closer to him, his portrait moves away) _Not again..._

Repede: (growls frustratedly)

Flynn: (head tilts to the left, incredulous face)_ Huh? What's the matter with Tai and Repede?_

Estelle: (neutral face)_ Oh, that. It's just that Repede really likes him, but Tai doesn't like people being really close to him._

Yuri: (head tilts to the left, curious face) _It's kind of different for a change, isn't it?_

Flynn: (neutral face) _Yes, I do believe I've never seen this before. Well, possibly except for Rita, but..._

Patty: (neutral face, closes eyes) _I see... Well, then,_ (head turning to the left, confident smile) _I guess I must undergo Operation Repetai!_

Estelle: (all look surprised) _Operation... Repe...tai...?_

Patty: (closes eyes) _Yup-yup-yup! It's a combination of Repede and Tai's name. The operation's main focus is to bring Repede and Tai close together as friends! You can count on me to get that done!_

Repede: (barking upwards, sounds excited, neutral face) _AWWOOOOOOOOOO!_

Flynn: (eyes closed, laughing/joyful face) _Ahaha! I'm sure you will do marvelously at your goal._

Estelle: (neutral face, smiles) _Yes, I can't wait to see what kind of progress happens!_

Tai: (head moves down, the shadows covers his eyes, his mouth covered by his hoodie) _Suddenly... I feel very cold..._

Yuri: (Yuri leans his head to his left, incredulous face) _Hmmmm..._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Interrogate the old man!

Rita: (eyes narrow, irritated face) _Hey, you._

Raven: (eyes narrow, unimpressed face) _I have a name, ya know._

Rita: _Whatever. Spill it already, all right?_

Raven: (head tilts to the right, eyes shorten, curious face) _Huh? Whaddaya mean by that?_

Rita: _Everything about Tai and his glove. You're really the only one he talks to. I wanna know what you know._

Yuri: (neutral face, eyes closed) _I'm guessing Rita's a bit steamed that I 'hogged' the battle all to myself and didn't give Tai enough time to use his artes,_ (opens eyes)_ so she is getting frustrated._

Raven: (closes eyes) _Ahhh..._

Rita: _Come on, spill it._

Raven: _Sorry, kiddo. But that's private info. I'm afraid ol' Raven made a promise ta Tai on keeping that sealed beyond these old lips._

Rita: (closes eyes) _Don't make me use fireball..._

Raven: _!_ (head turning to his left, scared/shocked face) _Wha!_

Flynn: (portrait comes onscreen, neutral face) _Ahh, yes, Raven. I've been looking for you._ (Raven's neutral face) _I need to talk to you about some planning I had with the knights._

Raven: _Sure thing! Let's hurry! _(portrait goes off-screen quickly, Flynn's following, Rita's face blushes, widened eyes, shocked face)

Rita: _HEY! GET BACK HERE!_ (angry/determined face, fists in front) _Rooooogh, that scumbag thinks he can get away that easily! I'll get that information out one way or another!_

Yuri: (closes eyes) _There's gonna be an all out war if she doesn't learn about Tai soon...  
_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Later that night, the water waves were the only noise heard throughout the whole town. It was peaceful and somehow rather mystifying. Leaning against the bridge, the old man hadn't seen a good night's view of the ocean in a long time. Not like this was a scene this relaxing in Dhangrest; usually the work Harry made him do wore the poor ragged man down that he'd drag his body to bed and just collapse in his clothes once into it. It was this special time at night where he was so happy to just relax without the usual stick of being the 'old man' of the group.

"Raven... how usually perky to see you here in the middle of the night," he heard Yuri say, coming up on his right.

The younger man gave a wide yawn and wiped his eyes as he walked over. Repede had joined him by his side and laid down next to him as he stopped and leaned against the bridge with him.

"Ahh, well, gotta be; don't know when ya'll find a be-u-ti-ful ladeeehhh..." Raven emphasized with his eyebrows raising.

"...It's 11:30 at night; most women are smart enough not to be caught outside where a perv could get them," Yuri said with a smirk-turned-grin, and ignoring the outburst of 'hey!', looked at him as he asked, "So, what are you doing out here, Raven? Normally, you'd be in bed snoring as loud as one of Rita's spells hitting its target."

Raven looked over towards the docks and smiled, "Ehh, I don't know... I guess I'm just watchin' over him..."

Yuri and Repede took the moment to both look down and see that Tai was just lazily resting against a post of the wooden walkway. His hoodie was off and his hair was being blown by the gentle sea breeze coming in. His eyes were closed, but he looked so peaceful. It was the first time the man and his dog ever saw him like that.

"He's definitely enjoying himself there," Yuri said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yessir," Raven smirked, "That Tai loves peace and serenity. Guess he really does love non-social areas."

"I just... I don't understand him," Yuri finally admitted, "I feel like he's a threat somehow, yet... I don't. It's just he's a mystery; his attitude, his glove, his abilities; it's so unknown."

Raven looked him in the eyes and defended, "Hey, now, Tai's a good kid; a lot better than you and me. Trust ol' Raven on this."

"Trust you?" the man responded in a tone that couldn't tell you if he was joking or not, "Raven, you're not exactly a trustworthy person..."

Glaring for a millisecond then relaxing, the old man responded, "Well, at least trust me on this, okay? Even I'm still figurin' him out, but he's not a bad kid. I know that much. Ya just gotta... take the time to learn about him, ya know?"

"Or get the information out of you like Rita proposed," Yuri said, mockingly cracking a knuckle.

"Hey! Don't be like that! I gotta survive enough with Rita as it is!" Raven backed up scared, then smiling as he added, "Look, ya gotta take the risk and try ta get ta know him. That's how it worked with me, for all I know."

Giving one more look at the boy, then back at the old man, he buckled, "All right, I'll give it a try when I can. Just... at least tell us if he starts to get emotional or angry, okay? I'd like to keep the group in one piece. Anyways, I need some sleep. I gotta prepare for the talk with Akio tomorrow."

"Right-o. See ya later."

With that, Yuri and Repede soon headed to the inn again. And with that, Raven looked back at Tai, who got up and started to head back into town.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Well, how was that? Was that a good technique I came up with? And YAY, Patty joins! What kind of adventures can we get from her? Find out next by reading more!


	28. Voirrey, the wanted woman

The night sky was pretty unbelievable to him. The slight clouds and wonderful noise of the ocean, peaceful. Unwaving in its beauty. Tai just felt like it was heaven. The moonlight made the night even more settling to his fancy. Unable to be moved by anything else, he just loved this city at nighttime. Just the unreal love of this quiet, beautiful silence was amazing.

But alas, all good things must come to a close. He sighed, his body was starting to get tired. He needed rest, as much as he didn't want it at this time. Letting a puff of breath escape, he yawned shortly after and looked up on his way to the inn. But something caught his eye...

It was a figure of a woman, an adult around Raven's age. But the appearance was shocking. It was that woman from the wanted poster Flynn had earlier today! The face, the olive green hair, the brown skin, and the hat were the same, but this time, he could see the rest of her. As he got closer, he saw she wore a white jacket that had orange on the shoulders and arms that stopped above the wrists and was open, revealing a black leather shirt that had belt buckles all over the chest. Her red fingerless gloves had little black leather stubs all over the fingers and hands, and stopped before the sleeves, revealing a bit of skin on her arms. Around her neck, was a necklace in the shape of an anchor, and a red scarf that wrapped around her neck, and went down to the back of her rear. She wore green jean-ish pants with maroon and black metallic boots that went up to her shins.

"...! It's you!" Tai said, rather quietly, but in a shout that made her hear him and jump.

The woman whirled around in panic, but once a good look was given to Tai, she sighed relief loudly and put her hand on her chest. As he walked over, she adjusted the hat on her head, covering her gold-colored eyes.

"Geezume, honey, don't go scaring me out of my mind like that," she said, in a chuckling fashion and with a smile, "You made me think that I was being called out by a knight or guild member."

"I guess it's what you'd expect to think of anyone yelling at you, when you're a criminal," Tai shrugged.

The woman blinked and stepped back, looking offended, "Hey, if you knew why I was doing these so-called crimes, you and all those jerks trying to capture me would be thanking me!"

Tai folded his arms and raised an eyebrow, "Oh, yeah? Well, before I ask you about it, let me say the name's Tai Hurokido. Now, can you tell me your name?"

"Mhm. Voirrey Kidman," the woman introduced with a smiling nod.

"All right, Voirrey," Tai then asked her, "So, what exactly are you doing that lands you into a wanted poster?"

Voirrey winked one eye closed and put her hands on her hips, "Well, I'm gonna try an impossible idea while going solo; one that I can't reveal just yet. After all, a girl like me has gotta have goals, and I can't just let my amazing ideas out when they're still in the developing stage."

"So... you're a blastia researcher?" Tai asked, wondering if this woman was like Rita... a more likable and cooler Rita.

But Voirrey shook her head with a rolling of eyes motion and replied, "Oh, please. Don't compare me to one of those uptight, anti-social nerds from Aspio. I prefer the title 'mechanic'. I love engines and machines now. They're so incredible to use!"

"And your job title would explain the crimes you do?" the teen asked with a curious face.

"Well... Unfortunately, honey, I had to do some things in order to further my project. Sadly for me, I didn't know that they would be turned into crimes. So, now here I am, a poor 32-year-old woman on the run while trying to do some good in the world," she sighed as she shrugged and shook her head.

"So, the stealing of blastia and cores? You wouldn't happen to be apart of those blastia thieves heard from Dhangrest?" Tai then got cautious.

"Uh, no, darling," Voirrey gladly made him relax and feel assured, "Trust me; I might be stealing cores and blastia, but I'm not apart of some crazed evil plot. I just said I'm working by myself; why would I need to be with a group? Besides, the reason I took them was that I thought since they don't work anymore, people would view them as junk and I could just swipe them for use. Didn't know people still treat them with such value that it's now 'scenery displaying' or 'momuments'."

_"Well, at least, she's honest, and she's way too social and nice to be one of those guys like Cescoral and that woman,"_ he thought, then continued to ask, "What about the trespassing charges?"

"Heh, last time I checked, sweetheart," Voirrey chuckled and gave Tai a jesting grin, "the abandoned city of Caer Bocram and the Shaikos Ruins are not public property owned by anybody. They think they can slap on a pair of trespassing charges just because I take one or two things from each? I don't know who they were, but there were two girls that just tore into me. One was some uptight young girl from a guild, and the other was some red-clothed wearing, impatient, stubborn girl who had goggles in her hair and screamed loud enough to make someone's ears gush with blood."

Tai's face suddenly paled for a second, but the collar of his hoodie shielded a grin on his face from being seen. He struggled not to laugh or even make a noise, but he couldn't stop thinking:

_"Ohh, my word, she's tangled with Rita. I'd hate to see what'd happen if these two meet again..."_

Anyways, he got control of his composure and said poised, "Okay, then, how about the last charge; the possession of unregistered machinery?"

"That charge is the one that makes me the most furious, darling," Voirrey growled a bit, then took her hat off for a bit to scratch her olive green hair as she continued, "There's this useless law that if you don't have a machine registered with the Union of the guilds or the imperial capital, you're in possession of 'dangerous technology'. The problem there is I don't live in either the Union or the capital, so why the heck should I have my stuff be checked in with either?"

"Huh? Where do you live?" Tai asked, tilting his head.

"Oh, right; you're not aware of the recent towns and cities that were built," Voirrey put her hat back on and pulled out a map, "Well, sweetheart, I'm gonna give you a little gift. I had an extra map on hand, but I think you can have it."

With that, he took a hold of the map and looked at it. Being a kind-hearted soul she was, the woman stood by his side and pointed to it.

"See this continent here to the upper right? That's where we are: Llyccia. That's the continent where Zaphias, Halure, and Capua Nor are controlled by the imperial empire and his majesty Ioder. The continent across that is Tolbyccia. That's controlled by the Union's leader Harry, and has cities like Capua Torim, Heliord, and Dhangrest," she explained.

Secretly, she didn't know just how informative and useful she was being to Tai. The boy was being educated about every other place he never knew, and he listened quietly. He remembered Harry's name, from back in Deidon Hold when he first met Raven and Flynn, and he was very interested as she listed the other continents.

"But some people don't know that there have been new cities and towns built on each continent. It could take forever for me to list them all, but I'll show you where I come from," Voirrey pointed to the continent of Hypionia and said, "See the middle part of here? A new town named Sacarion was built there. It's the latest town of mechanics and machines. We distribute engines and working technology there and ship it from our port to all over the world."

"So, does that mean your home is named Capua Sacarion or something like that?" Tai asked.

"No, it's too long of a name as it is, plus there's another port city for that. But that map is yours now, hon. Treat it with care. Now anyways, it's getting super late," Voirrey said, "and frankly, I need to get on the midnight ship to the next port city. Is it possible you can let me go without drawing any official attention?"

"Well, it's not like I'm a knight or guild member, so yeah, go for it," Tai said, nodding.

"Thanks, Tai. As long as you don't use my name or say I was here, you can share any info I gave you on anything. See you later!" the woman said, giving a signature smirk while saluting off the tip of her hat.

With that, Voirrey happened to rush towards the port where he came from, but not in time to get away from Raven's sight, who just happened to be walking from the bridge to the teenager.. with Estelle of all people. He smiled at him as he held his knife and the princess held her hands.

"Huh? Estelle, Raven, you're awake?" Tai asked.

"I couldn't sleep, so I came outside for some fresh air. I saw Raven was watching you and that woman talk, so I joined him," the princess explained.

"Seems ta ol' Raven ya came across that wanted woman. A shame that such a beauty is against the law," he humorously put his hand on his forehead.

"Actually, she wasn't that bad," Tai said, shrugging, "At least, I found out she's not one of those thieves guys we're after."

"She isn't? Oh, that's a relief!" Estelle said smiling, "She seemed like a very nice woman to me."

"I'm afraid I can't tell you what her name is, but she is working on some project by herself that landed her these charges," Tai explained casually, "But she's way too nice; she kept calling me honey, darling, and sweetheart, despite the fact I told her my name."

"Maybe she's a mother, workin' on her own lonesome self to raise a family?" Raven asked with an interested smile.

The princess gave him a worried look, "But why would a mother work on something that puts her at risk of getting arrested and never seeing her kids again? I don't think she's a mother..."

"Well, whatever that lady may be doin', Tai, ya can count on ol' Raven ta keep his trap shut about ya seein' her specifically. Can ya do the same, yer highness?" Raven promised to Tai, then winked to the girl.

"O-Of course! I won't tell at all, Tai," Estelle said wit a gentle, reassuring smile, "I know I haven't talked to you in a while, but you can still count on me. I'll do what I can to help."

"Thanks, you two. Man, I'm tired," Tai said, letting a yawn escape.

"Then, let's go back to the inn and get some rest," Raven said, waving for them to follow him back.

As the trio started to make their tired selves towards the inn, another figure started to watch them from the shadows. It was a male, one that had been seen in the previous adventures Brave Vesperia had. He had dark reddish-brown hair with thick bangs that went down the side of his face, hair that covered his forehead, stuck up a bit on the top, spiked out in the back and was long around his face. His black eyes collectively looking, a dark maroon scarf covered his mouth and neck, and its tie went towards the middle of his back. His dark grey long sleeve coat had white lining, but it's length stopped at the waist on the left and went down to his ankle on his right. He had brown belts that went from his neck down and circled around his chest and stomach. His glove on his left hand and boots had metal rings around them, and his black pants had buttons on the side of them.

He eyed them very cautiously until saying, "...An odd bunch of travelers. No matter. I've got to get on a ship tomorrow..."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ta-dah! Voirrey, another OC, joins the story as well as a certain familiar face. If you don't know who I mentioned at the end, It's the Dark Enforcer from the Dark Enforcer sidequest. People voted for him, and so, although I won't reveal his name now, he will join the party. Keep reading!


	29. The Dark Enforcer

It was early morning. EARLY morning. The kind of early morning that makes you groan from how unreal someone would wake you at that time of day. The thought of being so tired drilled into the minds of many people in the past and will in the future. But the fact remained that Yuri was like a soldier; he could be up at any time you needed. And right now, he was.

Roaming the streets while everyone slept cozy in the inn (except for Repede, the poor guy having to sleep at the door at this particular inn), Yuri watched the town's residents get up and go to their market tents, readying for another day of buying goods and sailors working. But it was a very boring. He had to wait for everyone to get up. But it was a sweet deal. Since Patty was here at the port, they didn't have to pay for tickets to go on a ship; they could just sail there. Good luck for once; how about that?

But Yuri was just as teens would say chilling; but not standing still. He walked around and decided to eavesdrop. What? It wasn't like Estelle or Flynn was there to scold him or nothing. So, he listened in on several conversations. Mostly boring stuff like family issues, market prices, and even one about custom underwear. The he- anyways, he sighed as he kept going around, until one conversation caught his ear.

"I'm telling you, it's the truth! No way that story could be made up!"

Yuri's head was drawn towards a man and woman conversing near the bulletin board next to the bridge. He pretended to rest against the bridge out of their view as it continued.

"Okay, take it from the top so I get it again. What's the story?"

"I don't have all the details, but apparently, there's some man beast over in Tolbyccia!"

"Man beast...?" Yuri couldn't help but mutter out of his mouth as he listened more to the woman doubt the man's news.

"What in the world is a man beast?"

"Like I said, I don't have the details, but a lot of people are saying there's a guy who's half man, half monster somewhere over there!"

"Ahh, it's probably some dumb rumor the guilds made long ago to scare and stop imperial knights from getting in their business. I've got nothing against the Union, but that's the most logical answer to that."

"You'd think so, right? But no, all over Tolbyccia is talking about how he exists and how some people have seen him. Even Torim Harbor has people who've seen him; that's how I heard."

"Wow... maybe then it is real...!"

"Just think of it; we have half human monsters now! We better be more careful now..."

The conversation enough would be suffice to know about a rumor, but Yuri Lowell isn't someone to let news and shocking details just slip by his notice on daily matters. He slowly walked back down near the inn and decided that he needed more info.

"If there's really a man beast or whatever it's called running around... I need more details about it. It could lead to the blastia thieves maybe," he said to himself before looking up.

His eyes suddenly caught wind of a certain man that was watching the party of Raven, Tai, and Estelle earlier. He recognized him in a heartbeat; the same man who acted and spoke like what he could've been. HIM!

"Hey, it's you!" he ran over to him.

The man looked around, his eyes betraying whatever expression his mouth made underneath the maroon scarf. He soon folded his arms as Yuri came over, completely surprised.

"Well, Yuri; been a long time since I've seen your face," he said.

"Clay..." Yuri said, a bit bewildered, "I thought you were in jail for nearly killing your brother!"

"Yeah, but I got out; simple as that and now I'm not going back to the capital for a long time," Clay said, looking melancholy.

"No way; prison time for murder are years long; sometimes even lifetime. You broke out of jail, didn't you?" Yuri said, narrowing his eyes at him with seriousness.

Clay, not even wavering, closed his eyes, and retorted, "Says the man who started his infamous journey with jailbreaking."

"Touche," Yuri lightened up, smiling and placing a hand on his hip, "So, with all secrets aside, mind telling me only how you got out and why you are on the move?"

"Let's just say I owe somebody a big favor, and I'm helping that somebody repay the debt," the dark enforcer spoke, "I need to meet the friend at Torim Harbor, so I need to cross over to Tolbyccia in order to help."

The idea popped into Yuri's head like popcorn; forgetting all about jailbreaking promise of Clay's maybe this was the perfect time to get some information about something he needed.

"Oh, speaking about Tolbyccia, have you been hearing rumors of some man beast over there?" he asked casually.

"Ahh, so you've heard those stories too," the man said, nodding and confirming that he too heard it as he looked at him, "Well, at first, I thought it was ludicrously stupid, but then... I heard much more... and actually got real information about it from a few friends of mine."

"Oh, yeah? What have you heard?" Yuri asked, getting interested.

Looking around for a second, Clay then explained, "Apparently, there's a lot of monster activity happening around Keiv Moc. More than usual, even more than the Aer Krene situation a few months ago where the plants grew unhealthily gigantic. So, Dhangrest sent out several guilds and warriors to eliminate them. That's where the Man Beast comes in. According to all men who came back, when they tried to get into the heart of that forest, a humungous giant of a man who has the head and tail of a wolf drives them out."

"Are you serious? Against all those warriors, this guy/monster wins?" Yuri asked, cupping his hand in his chin and looking down.

"That's right. But the odd thing is that there have been no deaths from the Man Beast. Apparently, all warriors are dropped off right at Dhangrest's borders within the city. Only a few have gotten a glimpse of what he looked like, and thus, the name of Man Beast was born," Clay said, unfolding his arms.

Yuri looked back at him, letting go of his chin and folding his arms this time as another idea popped into his head about the thieves, "Wow... I thought I had seen everything on my journey before... but new things keep popping up every time. Is it possible that maybe the blastia thieves have something to do with it?"

"You mean that recent group that have been stealing cores and such? It is a possibility, but that is startling if they had the power to make that monster. Anyways, for all I know, the new Don has stopped sending troops over to Keiv Moc. I don't know anything more about who the monster or person is," Clay said, slightly stretching his neck out, "but the Man Beast has to be losing its patience with how many times it's been attacked. I'm guessing it's territorial, and it attacks anyone who gets too close into the heart of the forest."

"So, is this a threat? Do people need this thing gone?" Yuri asked, possibly getting an idea for a guild job.

"Maybe; the Don has said that if the Man Beast becomes too out of control or attempts to attack the city, he'll start trying to kill it. But for now, he's playing defensively. However, that's not my issue... Right now, I got to figure out how I'm going to cross over to Torim Harbor," the dark enforcer said, closing his eyes again.

"Well... maybe I can help you out a bit. My friends really don't know much about you, so I could hook you up with a free trip, as long as you keep your mouth shut about who you really are; the commandant of the knights himself is boarding the ship we're on," Yuri said, offering an idea as his hand laid out in front of him like the option was literally in the palm.

"Risky, yet tempting..." Clay said, looking at him, "Very well. If you're really willing to help me, I'll accept your assistance. When is the ship departing?"

"In about a few hours, when the others wake up, but other than that, pretty soon," the man responded.

From there on, it was pretty much just waiting it out with Clay until the group looked up. But all that talk about the Man Beast had gotten in his head; a man with the head of a wolf? What if the blastia thieves were really apart of this? What if that really happened? It also could explain that beast they had to fight the day before yesterday. It made perfect sense. If that was the case... maybe Brave Vesperia would be required to look up into this at Keiv Moc and slay the monster themselves.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The port town of Torim Harbor was dark and quiet. The perfect place for a tiny meeting about what to do with a certain band of heroes. The man that had entangled his fingers into their business on a previous day, Cescoral, walked over to them, smirking as he watched the two look at him. The woman from today that stopped Yuri from killing Zagi was right there, and speaking of the devil, he stood next to her. He looked anxious as if he wanted to kill someone right there, but he stayed next to the woman.

"It's about time you got here; I was afraid your cockiness got you into a situation you couldn't handle," the woman said, the voice behind the mask utterly collected and poised.

Cescoral grinned and folded his arms, "Ahh, didn't know you worried about me, Qui. I thought you paid attention only when important matters are happening."

"Save the useless tauntings," Qui said, her name mentioned, "As much as your prattling is unamusing, you are part of this organization, and he will not tolerate one refusing to prevent another's death."

"Well, the boss isn't gonna like the amount of trouble the Brave Vesperia gang is becoming; they've gotten more members," the man responded.

"I am fully aware of this," Qui replied, "I am preparing a report to him already. But I decided to leave out the humiliating retreat that you were forced to undergo in Aspio."

"Oh, come on. Really? I didn't see you take them all on," Cescoral snapped back at her.

"In fact, I did. I defeated the so called leader Yuri Lowell in a matter of seconds," the woman folded her arms, almost taunting him.

"Kicking a guy away from you in two seconds is not a victory, or a fight at that matter. I tangled with all of them for at least a good five minutes; longer than you did, you elitist," the man growled at her.

It was around that time that Zagi had finally just about enough of the ridiculous rantings and yelled, "That's it! All this freaking raving of meaningless talk is worthless! My blade wants to fight again!"

"Easy, Zagi, in all due time, you will be able too," Qui said, calming him down, "But first we must meet with the master..."

"It's about time, really. He's been holding out on us; to finally know why the hell we're doing this in the first place better be worth my time..." Cescoral grumbled.

And with that... the trio dived deeper into the darkness of the harbor... where the plot was told where no one could hear.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I know this is a very short chapter, I get it, but I got stuff happening soon, so I gotta be ready! I hop enjoy and keep reading! ^^


	30. The two talks

"Hrrrrmmmmm..."

Flynn couldn't help but utter that groan out of his lips. He was extremely tired, and he just couldn't get a good night's sleep. In all honesty, he didn't get one the night before either, when the group stayed in Halure's inn. But besides that, he just tossed and turned. Thankfully, he was graced with a few hours here and there, but when it came to it, he just wasn't looking forward to getting his armor on. Oh, give the great commandant a break; there's been times where great heroes want to be able to call in a sick day and sleep in. And at this point of his life, he wanted to.

He saw the sky slowly getting brighter; he knew that soon he'd have to get up, but for now, turning over and closing his eyes felt good. But unknown to him, his sad disposition and sad vibe was seen by at least two people in the room.

Estelle was slightly awake in her bed as she was the bed next to Flynn's. She watched his frowning face turn over and try to rest more as he sighed. She slowly worried; although Yuri's talk of how he tried his best and even their talk of trying to cheer up helped, it seemed Flynn was really struggling with his brigade's tragic end.

Akihiro had gotten all the sleep he needed and had fully dressed himself. He had made his bed and quietly started to make his way out the door when he noticed the attitude of the commandant. He looked down a bit and closed his eyes. But instead of worrying about it like Estelle, he shrugged it off and headed outside.

Taking a great big yawn, he stretched his arms over his head and clamped his eyes shut at the sudden sunlight that shone brightly in his face. He grunted as it tipped off Yuri of his presence. The man walked over and was able to catch the teen's attention.

"Well, it seems you're up and about before the gang," Yuri said, smiling.

Closing his eyes and grinning while he rubbed the back of his head, Akihiro nodded as he replied, "Yeah, I always like to get up early so that way I can do more stuff in a day. So, when are we gonna head to the other harbor?"

"When everyone wakes up. Is the others still asleep?" Yuri asked, placing a hand on his hip.

"Yeah, but Flynn looked unrested. And real sad," the teen noted, looking down.

"Flynn must be taking getting uneasy about his men's death again," Yuri said, looking away for a split second to think to himself.

Seeing he was lost in thought, Akihiro yawned and smiled, "Aw, well, I'm sure he's okay. Well, I'm gonna head over to the market a buy some breakfast. Be right back, Yuri!"

As he tried to run over towards the market, a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked back to see a very darkish-serious look from Yuri, as the man gave him a good smirk. His eyes made the teenager cringe as he realized what this was.

"Hold it. Before you go anywhere, you and I are having that talk right now. Might as well get it over with, right?" Yuri said, smiling.

"Aww, darn it; I wish you had forgotten," Akihiro slumped over and let his head lower as the man spun him around to face him.

"I'll do my best to make it quick and painless," Yuri said, as he got serious and let go, "So, I'm sure you know as to why I'm addressing you about this, right?"

"It's because of my over-the-top fighting yesterday, right?" the teen groaned, like a child who's tired of being lectured by a parental unit.

Yuri nodded and replied, "I understand now that you're not sore about me winning our spar, but you're upset with yourself. I can understand if you're frustrated about not being strong enough, but you need to realize that accomplishing a dream and getting stronger doesn't happen in a matter of days–"

"I know that!" Akihiro tried to interrupt to clarify.

"But, that's just it; I don't think you REALLY do," Yuri explained, and kept calm despite the boy stopping him from talking, "Akio- I mean, Akihiro, if you get so mad after one spar loss that you just go running into fights while you're injured in order to get stronger, then you may not really know that concept well."

Happy that he for once corrected himself in saying his name right, Akihiro folded his arms and listened to Yuri continue, "Sometimes, the best thing to do in order to get stronger is resting. You won't get stronger if you continue to wear your tired and wounded body down. So, you got to practice patience, okay?"

"Well, how do you do it, Yuri? You sound like you're speaking from experience," the teen said.

"I am. Akihiro, I've been friends with Flynn since we were kids, and I lost to him all the time, whether it'd be racing, or fighting with swords, or whatever," Yuri explained, lightening the mood on his face.

Akihiro blinked in awe as his jaw dropped, "Wha- Seriously!? No offense to the commandant, but I would've been sure you're better; I mean, I've watched you and Flynn fight monsters for only a short while, and you're much better than him from what I've seen!"

"Well, looks aren't everything. I mean, how do you think Flynn got to be the commandant of the knights? I've only managed to beat him once and that was a few months ago in Aurnion. So trust me when I say this; I know what it's like to get frustrated when you lose and feel you're not good enough," Yuri sighed, retelling his past losses but smiled as he continued on from that, "but that's a part of growing up and getting stronger. Don't let losses give you the mistake that you're weak, but learn when to train and when to relax, okay?"

"Ahhh, okay! Thanks, Yuri! I'll try my best to practice what you've told me!" Akihiro brimmed with his cheerful self again.

"Good, now go get yourself some food. I'd rather not be the cause of you whining about being hungry," Yuri smiled and waved him off.

With that, Akihiro ran off to get some breakfast. Leaving Yuri to get some peace to himself, the man looked back into the inn and pondered to himself. He closed his eyes and pondered something that the teen had told him.

"Flynn... are you really taking it that hard?" he couldn't help be say to himself.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As morning grew into late morning, it was only a matter of time before everyone was up and ready to leave. A quick snack was all the group needed to have a good breakfast and all were ready. All of them huddled in a group as Flynn cleared his throat.

"Okay, everyone, listen up; we're gonna be heading off onto the Fierta in fifteen minutes; so all of you need to be ready and at the port by then," the commandant instructed.

With the majority of nods, Yuri caught his attention, "Oh, if I can, I promised someone that they could sail with us, if that's not an issue."

"Wait, seriously?" Flynn blinked, a bit caught off guard.

"This is an important travel, not a vacation cruise; we can't just allow random people to join us on our ship," Rita lectured as she folded her arms.

"Rita's right, Yuri; we can't let innocent people get mixed up with our problems," Estelle agreed.

"But he's somebody we know; I'll prove it," Yuri said, as he then made a signal with his hand.

It was then Clay came over, walking into view. Immediately, everyone except Flynn and the newcomers recognized who it was. And all of them knew then what Yuri's quick and constant glances at them meant; keep their mouths shut about what this man did and why he's out of prison. The dark enforcer walked over and nodded to them like a polite bow.

"Hello, my name is Clay; I hope many of you remember me," he said melancholy yet nicely.

"Yes, how could we forget?" Estelle said, smiling to him.

After a tiny series of introductions...

"Hm? Yuri, how do you know Clay?" Flynn asked, carefully looking the man over.

Not telling him a lie, yet keeping certain details away, his friend explained, "We met him several times on our journey. The guy is a strong fighter who helps anyone in need. He needed to get over to Tolbyccia, so I said he could come with us."

"Ol' Raven's got no problem helpin' a friend," the old man said with his classic smile.

"Me neither; I'd love for him to come along and for us to help him," Estelle said, changing sides rather quickly.

Being defeated, the mage gave up and nodded, "Fine, I guess he can come."

Clay nodded with closed eyes, "Thank you; I promise I'll try not to be such a burden on you."

"Okay, everyone, you heard the commandant," Yuri reminded, "Be at the port in fifteen. Got it?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

It was two minutes after that little huddle that Tai decided to just stock up on some items. Grabbing a few gels and status potions ought to do it, he thought. He couldn't be too careful, especially traveling to a continent he didn't know before.

So much happened in so little time. Meeting new people, seeing new places; it was a bit... startling at first, but Tai was really digging it. Despite Rita being... Rita, and constant pokes about his glove, it was okay being outside of Halure. He kept wondering what the new continent would be like.

_"I've never been on a boat before... I hope nothing screws up," _he thought.

Suddenly, it hit him. His eyes widened; no, not now. It can't be happening now. He looked at his left arm instantly; the glove was shaking. It was glowing without his control. Not now...

"Shit!" he muttered as he grabbed the items he paid for, frantically shoved them in his pocket, and rushed away.

He ran past tons of people, trying to find a place where no one could see him; could see that...

_"Damn it; of all the places he wants to come and bug the hell out of me, he has to do it in a crowded city?" _he thought angrily as he located an alley.

It was dark and nobody was nearby it. He stopped running, and tried his best to look casual as he walked into it. His arm began throbbing as he grunted and held it with his other hand. Closing his eyes, he tried to focus and keep whatever he didn't want coming out in, yet it wasn't enough this time. It was like time froze; though it didn't, he felt so slow as his glove stopped. He realized he was out, and he was behind him. It caused Tai to close his eyes in annoyance, in bits of rage, the shadows covering his eyes darkly. He didn't even look back at the giant monster-like being that was hanging from the wall by his right hand and foot.

**"Hey, Tai; long time no see," **it said in this deep, bold, yet sickly twisted and possessed type voice.

The being jumped down and stood right behind him. As the giant monster stood up tail, Tai's head was at its waist. Its skin was dark green, like Tai's glove, yet he had tiny highlights of blue. He had white marks that spread across his face that were his eyes and a big mouth with tiny, sharp teeth and a long tongue. It had a huge black mark that stretched all around its chest. The man or whatever it was... it was massive. Unbelievably huge. Its legs and arm muscles were gigantic, and its chest and stomach was completely ripped. Its fingers and toes were sharp like claws. It stood behind him, looking down at Tai, who didn't look back.

"What the hell do you want now, Kerberos?" Tai asked, barely holding back his distaste in his voice.

**"Heh heh, I'm so glad you're a 'cut-right-to-the-chase' kind of kid,"** the giant spoke, being called by its name, **"I'm a bit angry with you; only using my power twice in only two days, Tai? You've got to be joking."**

"Whether or not I use your power is my frigging decision, got it, you asshole?" Tai said in a no-nonsense attitude.

**"Sorry, 'pal', but not this time; this power you have that you get to control is unimaginably strong! You could crush anybody with it, yet you're pushing it back as a last resort!?"** Kerberos started to get angry and point at the kid, **"It's no wonder you got the life pounded out of you with that monster and beaten down by that man; you didn't use what you have. You were weak."**

Tai turned around and snapped, "Look, I'm not gonna use my powers because-"

**"Because you're afraid of those people you travel with thinking you're an abomination?"** Kerberos said cruelly, silencing the teen and making him give a glare at him, **"You're scared of what they think, aren't you? Why care what they think? After all, you told that Raven guy yesterday you don't view them as friends, so do what you want, not what they want."**

Tai looked down and closed his eyes; he was scared... scared of what they would do and say if they found out about Kerberos. But...

"It doesn't matter whether I'm 'scared' or not," Tai tried to defend.

**"Exactly; so, then, stop being a dumb sloth and start using me,"** the monster said, grinning, **"It's not like you can keep this a secret any longer; that prissy princess and poor excuse for an old man found out when you first met them, and now the rest of them do. Besides, that Yuri guy said he wanted to see what you're capable of; if that's the case, show him your full potential. Do it-"**

"Yo, Tai, how long are ya gonna make ol' Raven try ta find ya?" both heard a certain old man call out nearby, much to Tai's relief.

**"Awww, I guess our little quality time together is over, kid. I best be going back into there,"**Kerberos chuckled evilly.

He slowly came closer to Tai, and put his huge hand on his glove. In a matter of seconds, his body started to ooze like slime and be sucked into the glove. He smirked as he watched Tai's glare of resentment direct at him.

**"Oh, one more thing before I go for now..."** he called to his attention,** "It's a warning; keep that mage girl away from your arm. I think it's in the best interest for both of us that she doesn't get her hands on it and try to tamper with it. Until then, Tai..."**

Well, that was at least ONE thing Tai could agree with; Rita was becoming a serious pain about it. Sooner or later, he might have to do something about it; something seriously bad. With that, the giant went back into Tai's arm and left the kid in a horrible mood. Man, did that creep know how to get to him. It drove him crazy, attacking him to his core like that. His temper would've spiked, had it not been for Raven turning into the alley and relieving him.

"Hey-o, Tai, my boy!" he said, walking over to him, "Ol' Raven's been lookin' for ya!"

As the teen turning around, his face had lightened up, slightly smiling, "Sorry, Raven. I just had to take care of something private."

"Eh? Ya all right, Tai? Ya look as if yer really troubled and upset," the old man saw through the disguise and asked.

Sighing and feeling bad for lying, Tai said, "Ahh, I just didn't have a good night's sleep. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, I guess..."

"Ah, well, then let me treat you to some food! That oughta cheer ya up!" Raven winked and offered food on him.

"Yeah... I'd love that," the teen nodded.

As the two made their way out of the alley, Tai closed his eyes and hid his disturbed face from Raven. He couldn't stop thinking about what just happened and how angry it made him. Not to mention, he could've sworn he heard Kerberos laughing inside of his head...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Wow, it's been so long since I updated! I hope you like it

If you're wondering about Kerberos, I actually just made him up on the fly, yet he goes well with what I've got planned in the future story. I got the idea of how he looks like from this epic picture of Marvel's Venom. I hope that helps a bit in imagining him! Keep reading!


	31. Crossing Continents

Skit – Reassurance

Tai: (closed eyes, grumpy face) _….._

Raven: (head tilts to the right, eyes shorten, curious face) _Huh? What's a matter, Tai? Yer lookin' really down and upset._

Tai: (neutal face, opens eyes) _O-oh, sorry, old man, it's nothing..._

Raven: (closes eyes)_ Now callin' me of all people an old man? Somethin' must be up._

Tai:_ Heh heh... I guess you caught me, Raven. Sorry about calling you old..._ (closes eyes) _It's just... let's just say I had a bad night's sleep and woke up on the wrong side of the bed..._

Raven: (neutral face, opens eyes) _Don't think ya can be foolin' ol' Raven with a bad trick like that, Tai. …Ahh, well, I won't go steppin' on yer toes about it. Just be more cheerful about it, 'kay?_

Tai: (eyes open) _The problem I have right now is kind of hard to be cheerful during it..._

Raven: (closes eyes)_ Trust ol' Raven on this: ya might be criticized a bit by the likes of Rita and Yuri, but a happy disposition can make ya feel much better during yer life._ (head tilts to the right, smiling, opens eyes) _Frankly, it's got me this far in life, and I know it'll do good for you too._

Tai: (smiles) _All right, I'll try it. Thanks, Raven._

Raven: _Hehehe. Anytime, kiddo._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

About the time Raven had finally cheered Tai up, both had gotten some food to eat then and some later, and thus made their way towards the Fierta. It wasn't long before they spotted the group soon docking onto the boat and waiting for them. Immediately, some people in the group saw the two coming.

"Speaking of the old man, there he is," Yuri said, pointing to them coming.

"Where did you two go? We've been waiting for you two to come so we could leave to Tolbyccia," Estelle kindly asked about their whereabouts.

"Hey, we had a good seven minutes left, didn't we?" Raven asked, looking at the teen to his side.

"Are you honestly going to argue about how much time you had like children?" Rita asked, groaning at the old man's childishness.

"Heh… yer really lecturin' me about being a child; what irony. Ya sound like an old adult, Rita…" Raven smirked, saying it softly, but loud enough that only Tai could hear it.

It caused a smirk to form on the teen's face and made him completely forget about what had happened earlier. Rita glared at both with a suspicious, evil intent(ish) look as she analyzed their faces. Luckily, for the two men, Flynn had come over with a positive atmosphere.

"All right, everyone; the Fierta is just about ready to set sail," he said, showing with his hand the gangplank to the ship.

The group followed on board as they witnessed Patty near the steering wheel, grinning from ear to ear in excitement of adventure. Yuri and Clay were near the mast of the ship talking, Akihiro was excitedly exploring all around it, while Repede stayed right smack dab in the middle, near the door that led to the inside, with a face expression that screamed nervousness, even with the calm collectedness of the dog. The rest of the party got on and the gangplank was raised. Before Patty raised the anchors off, the group all got remotely together and readied their journey via the ocean.

"All right, we make way to Torim Habor," Flynn said as the leader, "From there, we will make way to Dhangrest through Heliord. Clay?"

He turned to the Dark Enforcer and asked, "I'm guessing you will part from us at the harbor?"

"Yes. The person whom I need to meet with is waiting at the harbor, so I will part ways when we arrive," Clay answered with a nod added.

"All right, then. Everyone got everything they need? We're not turning this boat around, so you better make sure we all have it all together," Yuri reminded for the last time.

"I've got all my stuff!" Akihiro called from the other side of the boat.

Everyone seemed to agree with him as they all nodded together in agreement as if the boy took the words right out of their mouths.

"Okay, then, I guess it's now off to Torim Harbor then," Flynn decided, and gave the signal to Patty.

The little pirate girl giggled as she brought up the anchor and started the ship up. She grinned as she fixed her hat and then took a hold of the steering wheel.

"All righty! The Fierta is heading out now!" she said happily.

With that, the ship began to leave the docks. Slowly but surely, it left any possible way by foot and ventured further away. The group then faced the direction the ship headed and watched as they journeyed on the waves.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"A-Are you sure this is a smart thing to do…?"

"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet already; we haven't even got into the heart of the forest!"

It was inside of Keiv Moc, a dark, eerie forest that could creep out even the bravest of warriors. The group was of five rugged men, all carrying swords or axes. Walking into it, they obliterated any monster that got in their way, but that wasn't the target of their search. They consistently watched their surroundings until some of them spoke.

"Look, I have a damn good reason to be creeped out! A half man, half monster that's strong enough to kick the crap out of over 20 different guilds? We're not talking about a regular monster here!" the first one snapped.

"Shhh, keep it down. We don't want it charging at us; even though we're ready, we should aim for a surprise attack," the third, obviously the leader, corrected.

"So, boss, what exactly are we supposed to be looking for?" the fourth one asked.

"It doesn't really matter; just keep your eyes and ears open for anything that could be our target," the leader warned.

It wasn't long after the leader said that when the fifth member, who was covering the rear, suddenly heard a rustle from the bushes behind them. Without uttering a word, he quickly checked it out, slowly gripping his weapon tighter. Out of nowhere, he was grabbed by the front of his shirt. A yell came forth from his lungs as he was flung out of view.

"Wh-What the hell was that!?" the first member said, scared as they all turned to see their teammate missing.

"Where did he go?" the fourth member yelled, worried.

"Calm down! We'll find him; we need to remain close together," the leader tried to keep control over his guild.

Suddenly, a rustle was heard again, and a huge form rushed at them. Before any of them could react at all, the figure grabbed the second man and smashed him head first into the ground, not killing him, but definitely hurting him badly and knocking him out. The man's body went limp and laid near the group. The fourth man grunted as he grabbed his knife and rushed the unknown being. He tried to thrust his sharp blade into it, but a huge human hand came from the being and grabbed his wrist tightly. He pulled the man forward and something hammered into his stomach. All he could do was crumple down and fall unconscious.

The first one freaked and tried to run, "That's it! I'm bailing!"

But before the leader could yell at him to stay, the coward found himself at the receiving end of a huge lariat, placed next to the unconscious fifth member who was brought back from whatever was attacking them. The leader being the last one left, he held his sword tightly and looked up at the huge being that was demolishing them. It was a giant muscular man with brown skin; his body build was beefy with a bit of a gut. All he wore was some trunks made from monster skin and leaves. The startling thing about this strange giant was there was a tail of a wolf swishing behind him and his head… was the head of a wolf. It was pure black fur, and his eyes glowed yellow as they narrowed at him.

"You… What are you!?" the man yelled as a magic spell casted underneath him and he shot a huge Spiral Flare at him.

The target simply dodged from the side, deflecting the magic circle as he moved in to attack the stunned leader…

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Ahh, man, this is so cool!" Akihiro yelled loudly as the cool ocean wind blew in his hair.

The group had gotten a far distance away from Nor Harbor and now were surrounded by nothing other than clear, blue, and salty H2O. Patty had done a good job sailing the boat for a fourteen-year-old girl. It was very peaceful and relaxing, but a brand new experience for two of the group.

"Ahh, is this your first time being on a boat, sailing across the ocean, Akio?" Yuri asked.

"Hmph…" Akihiro signaled about the nickname, then continued with a smile, "Yeah, this is. I've only been really in the Ehmead Hill, Capua Nor area; I've gotten to see the ocean, but never travel across it before."

"And it would also mean that Tai would be having his first time too," Estelle added with a smile, looking over at the boy who was looking out onto the sea.

"Yeah, it is rather peaceful… well, for some of us it is," Rita said, looking down at a certain dog.

"Huh? What's the matter with Repede?" Akihiro asked.

The poor dog looked nervous as he tried to stay near the door of the boat that led to the cabins, and not to look where he could see the ocean. Even an almost silent whimper came from him.

"Oh, he just has a small fear of water. That's all," Yuri said, shrugging off the question.

"Small fear? Yeah right. No one as collected and poised acting like Repede acts that way over a 'small fear'," Rita said, folding her arms and looking at him.

Flynn walked over to Repede and bent down on one knee. He gently brushed a hand over Repede's head. It calmed the dog down significantly as he closed his only good eye. The commandant smiled and stayed with him.

"Don't worry, Repede; we'll get there soon. Be brave, okay?"

Once awarded with a bark, the group talked a bit before they all split up. Clay decided not to be a bother to anyone, and thus went inside the cabins, staying there. Once they did, Estelle decided to go talk with Tai; she hadn't for a while now. As she came closer, he noticed her and nodded to her, saying she could come over. It wasn't long before the old man joined them.

"How are you guys doing?" Tai asked.

"I'm very fine, thank you," Estelle said, her usual perky self kicking in and smiling at him.

Raven made a joking-sad face, and let his head drop, "Ya two are the only ones I can talk to. The others treat me like an idiot or just plain ignore ol' Raven…"

"Well, you came to the right people, Raven," the teen replied, "This is pretty exciting."

"I know; it was incredible to be able to travel a boat freely," Estelle said, closing her eyes, but kept speaking, "So, Tai, it's been a while since you and I talked."

"Yeah; come ta think of it, ya two have been occupied for so long, I don't recall ya talkin' to each other ever since I first met Tai," Raven agreed with his classic smile.

"Indeed, it has… it's just, it's uneasy to have to deal with these events that threaten the peace of our world again," Estelle said, looking down and holding her hands close to her chest.

"Really, yer highness? I would've thought that fightin' the Adephagos thingy strengthened yer resolve of takin' on huge challenges," Raven asked, picking at his ear.

"Well, that may be true for some people, Raven," she said turning and looking away near Tai, "But it's hard for me to get used to it."

"Ahh, well, don't let yerself get down in the dumps, Estelle," the old man grinned, "Ya'll figure it out. Ol' Raven's sure of it. Right, Tai?"

"Yeah; it's different for a lot of people, I suppose," Tai agreed and nodded his head, unknown to the knight who watched him and the other two converse.

As the three talked, Flynn couldn't help but watch them politely on the other side of the ship. He kept listening in. It was around that time Yuri and Rita came over to him and noticed him looking. While Patty steered the ship, Repede staying near the door, and Akihiro adventuring upon the deck, they decided to talk a bit.

"What are you doing, Flynn?" Yuri asked, raising an eyebrow.

Flynn looked at him briefly, then back at the trio far away, "Oh, just taking the opportunity to watch them, especially Tai. I've never seen him act like that."

Yuri placed a hand on his hip, agreeing, "It's so awkward. He doesn't act like this; he only does with Raven and sometimes with Estelle."

"Well, despite that, I don't think he's an evil person," Flynn responded to that.

Rita's irritation showed as she glared at him, "I don't care if he's a good person or a bad person; I'm being on my guard around him."

"Is this about the glove again…?" Yuri sighed of annoyance.

"Shut up!" Rita scolded him, "A person with that much power at their disposal shouldn't be taken lightly, or allow to go wherever the heck they want to go! It's too dangerous!"

"But wouldn't that mean we'd be forced to be watched all the time, considering our power?" Yuri asked smirking, causing the mage to realize that was a good point.

"Urrgh… but we're different! We use our power for good and we saved the world, but that guy… he's so mysterious and suspicious; he never tells us anything, and to make it worse, the only person he completely talks to openly is the old man," Rita argued, making a good rebuttle.

"Rita… do you honestly think Tai is a bad person?" Flynn asked, honestly surprised at her feelings towards the teen.

"Like I said before, I don't care if he was good or bad to begin with; if Duke of all people says he could be a potential threat, then I think so too," Rita nodded as she closed her eyes.

"Wait, you guys ran into Duke?" Yuri asked, surprised.

Flynn turned to him and nodded, "Yes, back at Ehmead Hill. We introduced him to Tai, and he seemed to hint at knowing something about his glove."

This sentence made Yuri think and look over at the teen. His back was turned and his hood was covering his head, but he kept speaking with Estelle and Raven. But this new news about Duke concerned about Tai made him a bit more cautious about him now. If the great war hero, the same guy who controlled Dein Nomos, had knowledge about Tai… could that mean this teenager was a threat…?

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hey, guys, I am SOOOOOO Sorry it's taken this long for a chapter. I recently got back into college, so that comes first! I hope you like the story so far and keep reading! 8D


	32. The Champion in Torim Harbor

HEY GUYS! (GROAN) I'm SO SORRY it's been over 3 months since I've updated; holy crap, college sucks up your time! I'm here to bring you another chapter and one more concern; I got this review from a guest:

"Eww... Gary Stu alert..."

Um... WHO'S the Gary Stu? This is just a poor review; I honestly cannot take this seriously and so I treat this like it's from either a troll or a hater, for I do not know who this is or what they want changed. Once again, ladies and gentlemen, you need to ELABORATE and tell me what I need to change in this; thank you. And to whoever is the guest, please next time, if you're going to take a few minutes to say that, then take another few minutes to explain. Kay? Thanks.

(BTW, sorry if that sounded rude, but recently, I've been having a tough time of it and I just don't really need this.)

Now, back to the eagerly waited story...

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Somehow, interestingly, the gang all got to Torim Harbor in one piece. Surprisingly no battles, but maybe with themselves. Despite a few irritations (apparently Raven was too close to Rita's "personal space", which is surprising that someone can call a big distance around them personal space), the group managed to get there fine. As the boat approached, the harbor seemed to welcome them with open arms of wonderful weather.

"All right, everybody! Get ready; I'm gonna dock the boat off pretty soon!" Patty called happily to everybody.

A silent agree from everybody told her that they were ready. She professionally steered the ship to the docks, and with the help of the others, they were able to get to the docks safely. In a matter of minutes, the party was grouped together.

"Well, I suppose this is goodbye, everyone," Clay said as he turned away.

Yuri looked to him and replied, "I guess that person you were going to meet is here?"

"Yes, now if you excuse me, I must go," Clay nodded and ended the conversation as he walked away.

A gentle shrug from Yuri ended his part of the conversation and then turned back to the group. But Tai couldn't help but watch Clay walk further away into the lively town. He ended seeing him gently walk past people and soon stop to talk... with none other than Voirrey, the woman who Tai talked with the night before! So SHE was the one he was meeting up with. That led the teenager to believe that Clay must be helping this woman do something.

"Hm? Tai? What is it?" Estelle ended up asking as she noticed her friend's head looking away from her.

Within a few seconds, the princess walked over to him, wanting maybe a tiny response. When she saw where he was looking, she happened to catch the two people walking away. She blinked as she tried to focus closely on them.

"Huh? Was that...?" she started to ask.

"Hey!" Akihiro barged in between them, catching both of their attention as he looked in the same direction, "Whatcha staring at? I wanna see!"

"Hello!"

The three looked back to see the group to see everyone was looking at them. Yuri had his arms folded and he was literally tapping his foot as he was a tad annoyed.

"Are you three even remotely listening to us?" he asked with an unimpressed look.

"Oh! S-Sorry, Yuri," Estelle apologized, immediately bowing in humbleness, "We were distracted by something. Go ahead and say it again, please?"

"You mean Tai and you were; I didn't even get to see what you were looking at..." Akihiro ended up mumbling under his breath.

Seeing the three were now paying attention, the leader once again spoke, "I said, we're going to be heading to Heliord in a few hours. If any of you have to go to the bathroom or get any more items, now's the time to do so, because we're not gonna have any trips back here for a while."

"And can we hurry it up please? I wanna just get this over with as soon as possible; I've got research to do!" Rita looked away with a grumpy attitude and said.

"Yeah, and we have urgent matters for Harry to hear," Flynn agreed politely, nodding.

"Exactly," Yuri agreed, "So get ready to leave soon, okay?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – You don't think...?

Tai: (neutral face, eyes closed) _…._

Estelle: (her and Raven's portrait come on screen, neutral face) _Huh? Tai, is something the matter?_

Tai: (opens eyes)_ Oh, Estelle, Raven... No, I'm fine; I'm just thinking about something._

Estelle: _Hm?_

Tai: _It's just I happened to watch Clay walk away, right? The person he ends up meeting is Voirrey._

Raven: (neutral face) _Hey, that's the woman Tai bumped into last night._

Estelle: _And if I recall correctly, she's also that woman from the wanted poster._ (looks down, sad)

Raven: (head tilts to the right, eyes shorten, curious face) _Now what could Clay be doin' with a woman like that?_

Estelle: (Raven closes his eyes, Tai looks to his right, uncaring face) _You don't think he's helping her with whatever she had planned, do you?_

Raven: (eyes open)_ I dunno. But we don't know their plans; only Tai does, and he promised that sweet woman not ta tell. Quite noble if ya asked ol' Raven._

Estelle: (neutral face, Tai's shoulders perk up, shocked face, raised eyebrow) _Well, for now, let's keep this between ourselves._ (Tai looks up into the upper right, a slight blush on his face, Raven tilts his head to the right, smiling)_ We can tell the others if this gets any more worse._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Skit – Zagi #1

Yuri: (neutral face)_ That woman and Cescoral... that giant monster Orochiberus... and now Zagi running around again..._

Raven: (head tilts to the right, smiling) _Just like the good ol' days, huh, Yuri?_

Rita: (turns to the left, serious face, Yuri leans his head to the left, incredulous face, eyes closed) _That's not even remotely funny, old man._

Repede: (looks to the right) (Groan)

Yuri: (eyes open) _You took the words right out of my mouth, Rita._ (head tilts to the right, upset face)_ I don't need my craziest fan, also known as the world's wackiest psychopath, running around from the dead after me again. I literally have had enough of that guy for a lifetime._

Patty: (hands holding face, eyes like dots, slight blush, freaking out face) _Doesn't it scare you guys that he's back? I am!_

Flynn: (looks down, sad/upset face) _To think he was literally brought back to life..._ (Rita's face blushes, widened eyes, shocked face) _This could potentially lead to sick and unforgivable acts; bringing back the dead is horrid._

Rita: (head goes down, closes eyes, blush across her face, scared face)_ T-THERE IS NO WAY_ (all look surprised) _THE DEAD CAN BE BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE! Zagi must've survived that fall! That's the most logical solution!_

Yuri: _Rita, he fell from nearly the top of Taquaron! There's no way he could've survived that!_

Raven: (eyes narrow, unimpressed face) _Yuri, this is Zagi we're talkin' about. The guy who somehow comes back no matter how much ya try ta put him down._

Flynn: (narrows eyes, serious face) _And only with one person we're all getting worked up... I hope this isn't a bad omen of things to come._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Well, it wasn't very long before the group was getting ready to leave for the next city over. But before all of them seemed to group together, Akihiro, Flynn, and Rita were gathering up a few food items for cooking just in case.

"All right, it looks like we have everything we need," Rita said, holding one of the few bags they had.

"Very well; it seems we ought to head back over to where we meet," Flynn agreed as the three headed over.

Just as he was finished speaking though, suddenly a person behind them called, "Watch out!"

As the three turned, they saw a young male run towards them. Before they could react, he ended up jumping over them in an impressive front flip and then dashed away from them. They still weren't able to see a clear detail of his body, but they were able to see he was wearing a bright pink and blue shirt, with some sort of fur around the collar, and that he had blond spiky hear with some sort of an orange headband on, like Akihiro's. The three recovered quickly and watched him run out of the town.

"That was really rude!" Rita said aloud in anger, "That jerk nearly jumped on top of us!"

Akihiro's face was completely blank as he asked to no one, "W-Who was that guy?"

"Hey!" they all heard someone yell out of breath.

As they turned, they saw a regular dressed man run over to them. He bent over trying to catch his breath as he tried to ask his question quickly. Finally regaining his oxygen to supply his lungs again, he faced the trio.

"Did you three happen to see a male teenager with blond hair wearing some sort of pink top?" he asked.

"Yeah, he nearly just bolted us over; he ran out of town," the mage remarked quite annoyed.

The man slowly lowered his head and sadly said, "Darn, I was too late then..."

Flynn immediately let his knightly instincts take over and address him seriously, "Why did you chase that man? Did he do something wrong against you?"

"No, not at all," the man quickly defended the unknown teenager's reputation, "In fact, I was trying to confirm if he was somebody."

"Huh? Who did you think it was?" Rita asked.

"Call me crazy, but I really think that was the Champion of Nordopolica!" the man said.

Suddenly, the teenage boy who happened to be in the listening range of the conversation, twitched in excitement and asked the man almost right after he spoke, "Wait, REALLY?! THAT WAS HIM!?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm confused; would one of you please explain?" Flynn asked for both himself and Rita.

"A couple months ago, right after the Adephagos was defeated, they say a teenager walked into the coliseum of Nordopolica and within one day, defeated the 200 man challenge, the team challenge by himself, and then proceeded to win the newly and nearly impossible 500 man challenge without even a scratch on him. After that, they crowned him the Champion, the spot I want!" Akihiro said with passion, "And that's why I want to become stronger; so one day, I can challenge that guy!"

All of them, even Rita, was impressed by hearing about this boy's supposed success.

The mage ended up looking at that man with interest, "So you honestly think that teenager was here?"

"Yeah! I was down at the docks a couple minutes ago, talking with a few people, when suddenly that boy walked by us. One of the others claimed that he looked awfully like the Champion. The boy must've heard us, because he froze for a split second and then took off like the fastest monster alive. I tried to follow him, but he outran me, and then I bumped into you three," the man explained.

"Wow, that must've been him!" Akihiro said grinning.

"Huh... well, what do you know..." Rita said to herself, looking off in where the boy ran.

It wasn't long before the man said good-bye to the trio and left, but that didn't stop the boy's fiery passion about the Champion being so close.

"I can't believe it! The Champion was here in this town! Rrgh, that's so exciting!" he nearly shrieked at the top of his lungs.

Rita looked like she could slap his head right off as she interrupted him, "We know already, all right? We were just here when it happened."

"Well, that's not gonna stop me one bit!" Akihiro yelled as he suddenly ran away from them to the town's exit.

The two were taken off guard as Flynn yelled to him, "Hey! Wait a minute! Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna see if I can catch up to the Champion! Tell Yuri I went on ahead and I'll meet you guys up in Heliord!" they heard the boy yell back.

Flynn attempt to yell back, but got quieter as Akihiro was out of sight, "But how can you meet us there; you don't... know where... Heliord is..."

Rita groaned and held her face in her hand as she shook her head, "That moron; does he try to get himself killed at any possible opening? Yuri's gonna be so annoyed like me when he hears about this."

"Yeah, but the two are so alike; you tell them a warning, and it just goes in one ear, and out the other," Flynn said, looking up unimpressed, then back at her, "Come on, we better get Yuri, before he gets too far away from us."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Wow, it feels great to see another chapter on this story! Hope all of you have been liking it. ^^ Keep on reading!

P.S Hmmm... that Champion happens to be another OC of mine... but he's my favorite for a reason. Only time will tell why... B3


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